Sierra Club Foundation

Our Mission

The Sierra Club in Washington State works to protect our state's lands, air, water, and wildlife. We prioritize climate actions, protecting great outdoor places, and standing up for environmental justice. The Sierra Club Foundation is the fiscal sponsor for the charitable programs of the Sierra Club in Washington State.

Our Work

Sierra Club has won hard-fought environmental protections in Washington State ever since our chapter was founded in 1954. Today, we're advocating for actions that will bring a future of less pollution, great outdoor places we can return to, and healthy environments for all life, people, plants, and animals.

Our top goals include:

ORCA, SALMON, & TREATIES

We must be bold to restore wild salmon and the orca that depend on them, as well as to honor tribal treaties that have long been ignored. Restoring the Snake River by removing four dams is the best and most effective way to achieve this. The value of the four lower Snake River dams has greatly declined since they were first constructed. Solar and wind power are now less costly options than maintaining these four dams -- especially given their devastating effects on salmon and orca populations.

CLIMATE JUSTICE & CLEAN ENERGY

Sierra Club is determined to stop any expansion of fossil fuels in Washington State. We've successfully halted huge coal and oil export terminals, as well as "fracked" gas and methanol refineries. We're also working for what Washington State really needs: an economy powered by 100% clean energy for homes, schools, businesses, and vehicles. Transitioning away from dirty fuels to clean energy economies brings good jobs, greater opportunities for equity, and real action for the climate.

LIVABLE & RESILIENT COMMUNITIES

The building and transportation sectors are our state’s largest contributors to carbon emissions, and we are working to ensure accessible and affordable housing and transit options across Washington. The interconnected, urgent problems of homelessness, housing insecurity, sprawl, and climate change pollution require us to act boldly and swiftly. That’s why we are focusing on fighting sprawl and transforming our cities’ infrastructure to prioritize protecting our environment, our health, and our most disproportionately impacted, low-income communities. 

PROTECTING NATURE

Washington's forests, wildlife, rivers, and trails are the Northwest's great heritage. They can't be taken for granted. Our forests are one of the best natural climate solutions we have, and the pandemic has shown us all how important outdoor spaces are for everyone. Sierra Club works to protect these places for the benefit of our climate and for future generations to experience and explore.

Our Organization's Unique Strength: PEOPLE

Sierra Club believes in the power of change from the grassroots up. We educate, train, and mobilize people to take action in their communities: for the environment, equity, and the future. Sierra Club's work strategically combines this grassroots power with legal action, targeted advocacy, and policy expertise. We know how to stop bad ideas and get good ones over the finish line.

Today, with more than 130,000 members and supporters in Washington, the Sierra Club is a leading environmental voice statewide. We're part of the nation's largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization with achievements in Washington State stretching back to the establishment of the Alpine Lakes Wilderness in 1976 and Mt Rainier National Park more than one-hundred years ago.