Northeast Florida Group Vol. XVIII, Issue 2 February 2020

Plastic baginitiative beginswith Publix—your help neededtBy JANET STANKO

The Florida Sierra Club has launcheda state-wide campaign against single-useplastics, first targeting Publix, the state’slargest supermarket chain, and we needyour help.

We are asking Publix to stop usingsingle-use plastic bags, to encourageshoppers to bring their own reusable bagsor to use paper.

Go here to sign the petition:https://addup.sierraclub.org/cam

paigns/stop-using-plastic-bags-publix

The goal now is to have as manypeople as possible sign a petition urgingthat Publix take action against single-useplastic bags. We hope other supermarketswill follow. So far, we have more than 2,700signatures and need many, many more.

Our campaign is more than petitionsand post cards. We will conduct a socialmedia campaign, enlist the help of othersister organizations, communicate throughmajor media, and hope to meet with Publixexecutives.

Why Publix?Two reasons:• The state legislature doesn’t allow

local governments to ban single-use

Maia McGuire: what can we do about plastic? (Photo by Lisa Williams)

Plastic pollution a global crisis

Explore. Enjoy. Protect.

By LISA WILLIAMSPlastic is an enormous and growing

problem world-wide, a University ofFlorida marine scientist says.

Dr. Maia McGuire told the more than20 people attending the club’s Januarymeeting that the stuff is everywhere: inevery body of water, no matter howremote; in the air no matter where; and inthe most isolated areas of land wherepeople do not live.

Plastic pollution cannot be fixed byrecycling alone, McGuire said. Instead, theresponsibility is turning to us, asconsumers. We need to stop using plastic asmuch as we can, especially single-useplastics.

The recycling mantra of Reduce,Reuse, Recycle, she said, needs another Rattached: Refuse.

Refuse means refusing plastic bags,refusing plastic wraps around the things we

buy, refusing plastic straws at restaurants.Recycling alone is failing, she said,

because every municipality’s recyclingrules differ, depending on where they sendthe recyclables. That means no one is clearon what can or cannot be recycled.

Refuse! Reduce.Reuse. Recycle.

Plastic bags are especially egregious aspeople throw them in the recycling canand ruin most if not all of the load. Thefilmy bags clog the recycling center’ssorting machines and force the center tosend much of the load to the dump.

Some grocery stores take plastic bagsfor recycling because they have contractswith recyclers who can handle them.

The basic ideas, she said, are first touse plastic alternatives and then to follow arecycling tip: If in doubt, throw it out!See Sierra Pushes on page 2

Sierra Sentry, February 2020, page 2Sierra Sentry, February 2020, page 2

Whowe areExecutive Committee

(This group meets at 6:30 pm on the thirdMonday of the month at the Southside Library, offGate Parkway. Meetings are open to all.)ChairJanet Stankojanestan@bellsouth.netTreasurer Lucille PendletonLucillePen@yahoo.comMembersCindy Bakercindysbaker@gmail.comRobert Bladermblade@gmail.comLogan Crossjlogancross3@gmail.comBarbara Gubbingubbin01@gmail.comJohn Pileckijohnpilecki@gmail.comJoel Robertsjoelhroberts@me.comLisa Williamslisaow@gmail.com

Committee chairs

ConservationVolunteer! Call 904.990-3191Environmental EducationJulianne Mammanajmm094@bucknell.eduOutingsBill Armstrongarmstrongjax@att.netLegislative. Volunteer!LegalKen Wrightken@jacobsonwright.comNewsletterRobert Bladermblade@gmail.comWebsiteBill Armstrongarmstrongjax@att.netBeaches ProgramsBrian Paradisebgparadise@comcast.netJacksonville ProgramsCindy Bakercindysbaker@gmail.com

By LUCILLE PENDLETON

With the new higher Standard Deduction on the 1040 tax return, manyseniors are not itemizing deductions anymore and contributions to charitableorganizations are forgotten.

But many seniors want to support conservation programs like Sierra’s.What’s the solution? Your IRA!

After age 70½, you are required to withdraw some of your IRA savingseach year—the Required Minimum Distribution. You can pay taxes on thismoney if you want—it may even push you into a higher tax bracket.

OR you can contribute all or part of the minimum distribution to a501(c)(3) charity like the Sierra Club Foundation. It’s called a Qualified CharitableDistribution. It means you won’t be taxed on the donated amount and you canstill claim the Standard Deduction.

Best of all, you will be supporting the important activities of the SierraClub Foundation.

It’s easy: direct your custodian/financial trustee to send the QCD fundsdirectly to the Sierra Club Foundation, 2101 Webster St., Ste 1300, Oakland, CA94612.

If you note that the contribution should benefit the NE Florida Club,then the funds will be directed to our local conservation efforts.

Many thanks.

(Lucille Pendleton is the Northeast Florida Sierra group’s treasurer.)

Use your IRA distributionfor Sierra, maybe save a tax bump

Sierra push to ban plastic bags targets Publix first

plastics. While we are working to changethat, we want to encourage businesses tovoluntarily ban or limit plastics in thecheck-out lines.

• Publix is a dominant force inFlorida and is a natural first step topromote environmental responsibility. IfPublix changes, others will follow.

Of course the single use plasticproblem is much bigger than grocerybags, but we are starting there. Expertssay single-use plastics in the environmentis as big a threat as climate change.

So sign our petition athttps://addup.sierraclub.org/campaigns/stop-using-plastic-bags-publix.

We will share other organizationalpetitions on bags and other single-useplastics. We are all part of the same

campaign platform, and we need to supportother campaigns as we want our sisterorganizations to support ours, so we hope youwill sign those petitions too when we sharethem.

(Janet Stanko is chair of the Northeast FloridaSierra Club and leads the state initiative fighting single-use plastics.)

Continued from page 1

Use a bag like this, not plastic, when you shop.

Page 3, Sierra Sentry, February 2020Page 3, Sierra Sentry, February 2020

Note: To see a full outing descriptionand to RSVP for these outings, see ourwebsite or Meetup site:

•Website: www.sierraclub.org/florida/northeastflorida/get-outdoors

• Meetup: www.meetup.com/Sierra-Club-Northeast-Florida-Group/

Outings are free (except for any parkfees) and open to all. Some outings requirea greater level of fitness and skill thanothers. No pets or firearms are allowed onoutings.

Participants are required to sign awaiver and release of liability at the start ofthe outing. A link to the waiver can befound at: https://www.sierraclub.org/florida/northeast-florida/get-outdoors

Sunday, Feb. 9, 10 a.m. Learnabout and hike Ravine Gardens State Parkand see the azaleas. Don’t miss theblooming azaleas! We'll talk about thehistory of the park and the geologicalformation. The hike distance is 2.5 milesover challenging terrain, which windsaround trees and curves, up and downstairs, with several elevation changes,narrow paths with stones and roots alongthe path. There are also several suspensionbridges.

Saturday, Feb. 22, 9 a.m. HikeTillie K. Fowler Regional Park. Beautifultrails, a nature tower, varied terrain,remnants of a WWI camp—what morecould you ask for! We'll meet at the NatureCenter at the far (north) end of the parkand hike about 3 miles on two differenttrails.

Saturday, Feb. 22, 9:30 a.m.Kayak Deep Creek. Join us for a backwaterpaddle on Deep Creek. This is a great 2-3hour leisurely paddle and a lot of fun,maybe even a few challenges.

Saturday, Feb. 29, 9 a.m. FitnessHike, Cedar Point Preserve to BlackHammock Island. This 7-mile hike willbegin in the Cedar Point Preserve, crossPumpkin Hill Creek to Black HammockIsland and then return. Participants shouldbe capable of hiking at a rapid pace for anextended period.

Saturday, Feb. 29, 9 a.m. WeedWrangle For National Invasive SpeciesAwareness Week. Join us and TimucuanParks at Cradle Creek Preserve to removeinvasives such as the air potato vine.

February outings: hike, kayak, serve

The Northeast Florida Sierra Club’smeetup site had 23 Sierrans participate inthe city’s annual MLK Day of Service onJan. 22 to pitch in and help the TimucuanParks Foundation clean, maintain, andbeautify Kathryn Abbey Hanna Park.

They were among 100 volunteers towork on invasive plant removal, trailmaintenance, and litter cleanup as part ofthe national service day celebrating thelegacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.,Sierra Outings Chair Bill Armstrongreports.

“It was a great day to be outdoors, andwe were able to get a lot of work done,thanks to all the volunteers who joined us,”said Felicia Boyd, program and outreachdirector for the parks foundation.

She added, “We got a great group ofSierra Club volunteers who came out andlopped and chopped.”

The MLK Day of Service event wasdone in partnership with the City ofJacksonville’s Department of Parks,Recreation and Community Services withfunding support from REI, the outdoorsequipment company.

The foundation hosts cleanup andmaintenance projects year-round with itspark partners which include Jacksonville,Florida State Parks and National ParkService. To volunteer for the next serviceevent, visit timucuanparks.org/volunteer/.

Sierrans supportMLK service dayat Hannah Parkfor lopping, chopping

Meetup at all-time highAt the end of January, our Meetup

participants totaled more than 4,500people! Since our club’s membership isabout 2,000, more than half of the Meetupparticipants aren’t Sierra members but dohave a keen interest in exploring, enjoying,and protecting our Northeast Floridanatural environment.

—Bill Armstrong, outings chair.

Hiking along Rice Creek (Photo by Bill Armstrong)

Sierra Club,Northeast FloridaGroupWebsitesierraclub.org/florida/northeast-floridaFacebookfacebook.com/NEFLSierraClub/Twittertwitter.com/NEFLSierraClubNote: To change your mailing address orto change from paper to email, write tosierrasentry@gmail.com. Please includeyour membership number found on themailing label.Your essays, opinions, poetry, andphotos are welcome as long as they relateto our mantra of enjoy, explore, andprotect the environment. Sendsubmissions, queries, and ideas tormblade@gmail.com.

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Mail this form to: Sierra ClubMember Services, 2101 WebsterSt., Suite 1300, Oakland, CA94612 or go to www.sierraclub.org

Contributions, gifts and dues tothe Sierra Club are not taxdeductible; they support ouradvocacy and lobbying efforts.Contributions to The Sierra ClubFoundation and Environmental LawProgram are tax-deductible.

Non-Profit OrgUS Postage

PAIDJacksonville, FLPermit No. 1638

Animal rights, plastics dominate meeting slateThe Sierra Club’s Northeast Florida

Group offers meetings in Jacksonville, inPonte Vedra, and in St. Augustine. Ourmeetings are free and open to all, bothmembers and non-members.

Feb. 5, Wednesday, 6 p.m. at thePonte Vedra Library. A nationally-knownanimal rights lawyer will present a differentway of looking at animals. “Animals are theonly beings capable of suffering whom U.S.law classifies as property,” says ElizabethDeCoux who has taught animal rights lawfor more than 20 years. “With fewlimitations, people may do whatever theywant with their property. So, until the lawchanges, the fate of animals depends oneach human’s morals and ethics. Submittedfor your consideration will be oneargument for according greater moralstatus to animals.” All are welcome.

March 9, Monday, 7 p.m., at LakewoodPresbyterian Church, 2001 University Blvd Win Jacksonville, in the rear of the educationbuilding. The Plastic Problem: Plastic pollutionis a pervasive global issue. It can now be foundin the food we eat, the water we drink and theair we breathe. How has this come to pass, andwhat are the solutions? Join us as we discuss the

rise of plastic pollution, touch on the arrayof solutions available, and dive into onefacet: the need for corporate innovationand design change. Lia Colabello,managing principal of Plastic PollutionSolutions, will be the speaker. Social timestarts at 6:30 p.m. Everyone is welcome.

April 6, Monday, 6 p.m. at thePonte Vedra Library. A celebration of JohnMuir, the environmentalist and Sierra Clubfounder, who was born on April 21, 1838and died on Dec. 24, 1914. Everyone iswelcome.

May 11, Monday, 7 p.m., atLakewood Presbyterian Church, 2001University Blvd W in Jacksonville, in therear of the education building. Josh Gellers,a UNF associate professor of politicalscience, will speak on “Human Rights andthe Environment: Origins, Impacts, andNew Directions.” He will explore differenthuman rights approaches to environmentalprotection. Social time starts at 6:30 p.m.All are welcome.

Lia Colabello, March speaker