You’re invited to invest in the next generation
Aloha friend,
The youth are leading us into tomorrow. It’s because of the next generation’s relentless dedication that I am writing to you today full of confidence. Even through the seemingly endless trials of 2020 and now 2021, youth from around the islands are uniting to empower their communities through innovative action, build up their peers’ voices and double down on the deep connection between climate and social justice issues.
Your support has led the Sierra Club of Hawaiʻi to accomplish a great deal over the last 52 years and I know you care deeply about the future of Hawaiʻi’s environment—this is a unique moment to sustain this lasting impact. Please consider investing in our work here in the islands to continue this legacy with the next generation.
Over the last year, together with our youth partners, the Sierra Club of Hawaiʻi has helped:
Boost voter turnout through an innovative, web-based voter guide for youth,
Pass critical policies for Honolulu, including a single-use plastics ban, access to rooftop solar for residents, and securing funding for the Office of Climate Change, Sustainability and Resiliency,
Launch a youth-centric Energy Justice Colloquium to examine energy injustices and make community-based solutions a reality, and
Secure a coal-free future for Hawaiʻi and limiting toxic emissions through both litigation and legislation that bans coal burning after 2023.
What’s ahead for us? Together, we will continue building our environmental justice tribe through cultivating new members and volunteers, boosting youth leadership and advocacy skills, building relationships with like-minded, intergenerational activists across the islands and working together on community-centered climate policy action.
It’s not just through my youth work with the Sierra Club that I am inspired to take on these challenges. As a young mother myself, I believe it is a primal instinct to preserve and protect the planet my keiki will inhabit. Everyday I am reinvigorated by endless possibilities; raising my child with intention and courage, knowing she will one day use her voice to continue seeking liberation for ʻāina and community. Your support today will provide a foundation for tomorrow!
Sincerely,
Lauren Ballesteros-Watanabe
Chapter Organizer
PS: The Sierra Club of Hawaiʻi depends almost entirely on local donations to power our work. Please consider sending a gift today. Thank you!