This fall has been a busy time for Sierra Club’s Building Environmental Communities filled with big events and exciting updates.

In October, we held our first-ever Neighbor 2 Neighbor Climate Challenge where we had more than 80 volunteers go door-to-door in five Central Ohio neighborhoods to discuss the climate crisis and distribute free compact fluorescent light bulbs.  We talked to more than 900 people and distributed 1,550 free lights throughout the community—and had 350 people pledge to reduce their carbon emissions by 2% per year!

October also brought out an exciting Trick or Treat event – Sierra Club style! We distributed handouts and light bulbs to over 60 Sierra Club activists who passed them out to their friends and neighbors on Halloween! The event was a great success – with over 750 light bulbs being distributed throughout Central Ohio!

BEC continues to focus on Cool Cities and work with local governments on crafting smart energy policies that will reduce global warming pollution city by city.  Many mayors throughout the region have signed the Central Ohio Green Pact. The 10-point Pact created by the City of Columbus and MORPC calls for local governments to reduce emissions from their municipal fleets; attract businesses in emerging environmental fields; buy more recycled and energy-efficient products; build more environmentally friendly public facilities; adopt stronger recycling requirements; encourage better environmental stewardship by residents and businesses; create more parks and bike trails; and promote redevelopment over outward growth.

And our work is just getting started! Join us for an exciting winter of programs and events and come meet other volunteers as we re-launch our Action Nights in January! To learn more about the BEC Program and how you can get involved, please contact us at 614-461-0734 x 305 or .