What we’re about
The Sierra Club is America's oldest, largest, and most influential grassroots environmental organization. This mission of the Sierra Club is to explore, enjoy, and protect the planet. The Headwaters Group of the Sierra Club serves members of Durham, Vance, Person, and Granville Counties. You do not need to live in one of these counties to join our Meetup, and unless specifically noted, you do not need to be a Sierra Club member to attend attend one of our Meetups, events, and/or outings. We welcome anyone and everyone and would love to see you at one of our events!
Upcoming events (4+)
See all- Get out and watch the meteorsNeeds location
It's a perfect conjunction: cooler weather, clear skies, a waning crescent moon and lots of meteorites (we hope). In the next week, there are three different showers in our area:
- The Southern Delta Aquarlids peak Monday night.
- The Alpha Capricornids peak on Tuesday night.
- And the Perseids don't peak until August 11th.
The showers are named for the constellation, and sometimes the specific star, that they seem to come from. Thus, the Alpha Capricornids originate near a star that doesn't have a classic name (like Polaris does), just the modern name "alpha Capricorn."
The advice on watching for falling stars: find a dark place, be patient for your eyes to adjust (as much as 45 minutes), keep looking around, and if you can, choose the peak time of night.
- Meatless Monday -- Time for PotatoesNeeds location
National Potato Day is Monday August 19, so if you like spuds, this one’s for you! Herb or German-style potato salads have no mayo so are safe for a picnic. Or bake a potato on a grill. Mashed, smashed, chipped, or covered with chopped veggies, potatoes can be eaten with just about every meal — or as a meal! Making these starchy veggies is a delicious and easy way to get iron, potassium and vitamin C.
August Food for Thought: It’s Summer - Catch a wave! (a microwave, that is). Ideally, keep cool by eating cold food, but if something needs cooking (such as ears of corn or potatoes for salad), it's more energy-efficient to use the microwave, plus it retains natural flavors and nutrients. For example, with small red potatoes cooked in the microwave, you can make potato salad or mash the cooked potatoes with a healthy fat, milk, and seasonings for a creamy side dish.
Real Food for August: Sweet potatoes are native to North Carolina. The sweet potato is also the official vegetable of our state! Sweet potatoes are available all year long in North Carolina, the top grower of sweet potatoes in the US. Our hot, moist climate and rich, fertile sandy soil are ideal for cultivating sweet potatoes in the Coastal Plain of eastern NC. There are hundreds of varieties of sweet potatoes ranging from white, mild to deep orange, deep red, and even purple!
Microwave whole sweet potatoes for five to eight minutes, rotating halfway through. For toppings, try Greek yogurt or a dollop of cilantro lime dressing, chipotle sauce, pesto, guacamole, or a drizzle of tahini sauce.
The treasure this month is summer drinks in all their varieties. You can ice your favorite tea, of course. But how about being adventurous with cucumber coolers or watermelon lemonade? Or make ice cubes with coconut water and berries to jazz up your drink.
More information: https://www.mondaycampaigns.org/meatless-monday
We hope we can eventually get together to share food, but for now, we are feasting separately and then sharing pictures and recipes.
- Climate Change and HopeNeeds location
Regardless of what the fossil fuel industry would have you believe, climate change is here and its impacts will continue to accelerate. In this discussion, we will explore what role each of us can take to address this challenge. Addressing the challenge is an "all hands on deck" affair, and it needs our attention now. Some of the topics we will discuss are food choices, transportation, housing and energy efficiency.
To join our Zoom presentations, you should click this link.
Our speaker for August is Roger Helm, PhD (UC Davis, 1990), who worked for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for 25 years assessing the impact of oil and other contaminants on wildlife and pursuing restoration claims against polluters. He co-authored the book Marine Mammals of California, book chapters on the effects of oil on seabirds and marine mammals, and numerous other publications on marine birds and mammals and global climate change. Roger teaches about the effects of global climate change and works with various organizations on solutions to this potentially catastrophic problem.
This is the monthly meeting of the Sierra Club group in Asheville. If you are in Asheville, they meet in Room 102 at UNCA’s Reuter Center/OLLI on 300 Campus View Rd. The programs are free and open to the public. Click here to join the Zoom meeting.
Can't make the meeting? Don't worry - recordings of the programs are posted on our website a week after the meeting. Our archive can be found here.
- Join the Great Southeast Pollinator Census (unsponsored)Link visible for attendees
The University of Georgia is once again sponsoring a pollinator census. Their website has great information on how to count pollinators and how to provide habitat. For example, carpenter bees have shiny bottoms and bumble bees have fuzzy ones, if you are trying to get beyond (my level) of honeybee/not honeybee. Last year 98 counters in Durham County identified 433 carpenter bees, 741 bumble bees, 408 butterflies and moths and several other kinds of insects.