Hungry for good news? Sierra Club Executive Director Michael Brune tells the story of how an inspiring grassroots coalition has achieved hundreds of victories against Big Coal over the last several years. He depicts a new, localized approach to fighting climate change effectively and outline what each of us can do to help clean energy such as solar and wind become the dominant source of power by the end of this decade. The Beyond Coal campaign, including recent funding of $50 million from Mayor Michael Bloomberg of New York City, has helped block 166 (and counting) new coal plants over the past decade, with major impacts on reducing global greenhouse gas and mercury emissions. The Mother Jones magazine headline says it all: “How a Grassroots Rebellion Won the Nation’s Biggest Climate Victory.” In 2008 he published the book Coming Clean — Breaking America’s Addiction to Oil and Coal.
Find out more about Michael Brune and how you can engage with his campaigns and efforts by visiting the The Sierra Club or follow him @bruneksi.
This speech was given at the 2012 Bioneers National Conference.
