Who Started the Sierra Club?

Who started the Sierra Club?  John Muir started the Sierra Club on May 28, 1892 in San Francisco, California.  It is the oldest grassroots environmental organization in the United States.  There is a lot to learn about John Muir, the man who started the Sierra Club, as well as for details about the Sierra Club, and it its mission. 

The first president of the Sierra Club was John Muir, the man who started the Sierra Club in 1892.  Since then, its membership has grown to hundreds of thousands in the United States.  It is the largest environmental group in the United States. 

Its mission is:

“To explore, enjoy, and protect the wild places of the earth;To practice and promote the responsible use of the earth's ecosystems and resources;To educate and enlist humanity to protect and restore the quality of the natural and human environment; andTo use all lawful means to carry out these objectives.”  

Facts About John Muir

Here are a few interesting facts about the life of the man who started the Sierra Club, John Muir:

• John Muir wanted to preserve the natural wonder of our wilderness. 
• His efforts helped save the Yosemite Valley and Sequoia National Park, to name a few. 
• Because of his devotion to preserving forests and wilderness areas, he is called the “Father of the National Parks.”
• There is also a hiking trail that is 211 miles long called the John Muir Trail in his honor.  It is in the Sierra Nevada Mountain range in California. 
• Other places bearing his name are: Muir Beach, Camp Muir, Muir Glacier, Muir Woods National Monument, and John Muir College.

Muir's Life

• John Muir was born in Scotland on April 21, 1838 and died in Los Angeles, California on December 24, 1914. 
• He was passionate about living in harmony with nature and not letting our materialism destroy our love of nature. 
• His writing influenced many; from presidents to ordinary citizens. 
• This is what he wrote about his first visit to Yosemite, “No temple made with hands can compare with Yosemite... The grandest of all special temples of Nature.” 
• The Sierra Club, which he started in 1892, is one of the most influential organizations in the United States.  He was its president until his death in 1914.  

Programs of the Sierra Club

Since the Sierra Club started, it has worked diligently to carry out its goals.  These goals can be summarized in their welcome letter on SierraClub.org.

It lists the reasons why you are visiting the site or joining the club, stating: 

• You are here because you care about our parks. 
• You want: a safe and healthy community in which to live, smart energy solutions to combat global warming, and an enduring legacy for America's wild places.

Main Goals of the Sierra Club

• Beyond Coal - Coal still provides half of our electricity and 30% of the pollution that increases global warming.  It is a very dirty source of energy and causes health problems, releases mercury into the environment, and destroys mountains.  We need to make changes and start using clean energy.  
• Clean Energy Solutions - We need to be more aggressive to ensure our energy future and reverse climate change.  This will be done by: using renewable and green energy (wind, solar, etc.) and constructing green buildings that reduce emissions and use renewable energy.
• Green Transportation - This is a primary target for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.  We have to stop the addiction to gasoline by doing these three things: make clean and efficient automobiles that average 60 miles per gallon, lower the carbon content of fuels by 15% by the year 2030, and have more transportation choices, like public transportation, walking, and biking.
• Resilient Habitats - We need to take action to protect habitats from climate change.  We can urge the administration on every level, from local to national, to set aside lands that will not be developed and also create environments for wildlife to thrive on a warmer planet.
• Safeguarding Communities - There are things to do to ensure that we prepare for climate change, like: reducing wildfire hazards; protecting the coasts with natural vegetation and moving people inland; restoring natural water sources; and making natural hazard zones, like avalanche and landslide areas and floodplains, free of human habitation.

So, now you know who started the Sierra Club as well as more details about the club itself.