What's So Bad About Tar Sands, Anyway?

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SIERRA CLUB INSIDER The Official Newsletter of the Sierra Club ======================================

June 12, 2012: In This Issue º Great Gifts for Dad º Win a Trip Down Under º Picking on Polar Bears º Style with Substance º Worst to Best Job Ever

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Join the Sierra Club for $15 and get a free messenger bag

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EXPLORE Paddling into Paradise

Summer temperatures may be soaring, but have no fear -- water adventures await! Grab a paddle and join us on one of many trips ranging from quiet lakes to rollicking whitewater.

Enjoy history and diverse wildlife while canoeing the Mississippi River, raft or kayak in Alaska's Lake Clark National Park, or head to New York's Adirondacks for family canoeing and whitewater rafting.

Seeking something else? Select from over 150 more adventures at Sierra Club Outings.

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THE FINAL COUNTDOWN

Take one minute and watch The Countdown finally reach zero.

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ENJOY Style With Substance

Think fashion and conservation don't mix? Wrong: Even John Muir was a sharp-dressed man. Check out our top picks for him and her, from dress shoes to jeans.

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ON THE RADIO

1) Jeanine Cotter, CEO of solar installation company Luminalt. 2) Rachel Butler, national organizer for the Sierra Club's Green Transportation Campaign, on the increase in bike commuting. 3) Avital Andrews from Sierra magazine talks about whether fast food can be green.

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PROTECT Support Grazing Reform on Public Lands

The "Grazing Improvement Act" would further entrench domestic livestock grazing on federal public lands to the detriment of fish, wildlife, and clean water.

Please tell your senators and representative to oppose this bill and instead support sensible reform of public lands grazing policies.

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What's So Bad About Tar Sands?

How can we tell people about the most toxic fossil fuel on Earth?

Here's one easy way: Watch and share this short animated video that shows what's so bad about tar sands. Can you guess which famous Canadian-American actor provided the narration?

(Hint: He once voiced a "hunky environmentalist" on The Simpsons.)

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Great Gifts for Dad

Looking for a Father's Day gift that won't disappear into the back of Dad's closet? We've put together a guide to Sierra Club books for all kinds of dads, from "Fly-Fishing Dad" to "Bicyclist Dad" to "Backpacker Dad."

Once you've found the perfect gift, enter the code DAD2012 during checkout and you'll receive a 20 percent discount on your purchase.

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Another Crazy House Bill

If today's Tuesday, then someone in the U.S. House of Representatives must be attacking the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, or Endangered Species Act.

Actually, the National Security and Federal Lands Protection Act (H.R. 1505) attacks all three, along with about two dozen other environmental laws, by lifting protections from public lands in a zone that extends 100 miles into the U.S. from all land borders. If passed, it would put dozens of national parks, tribal lands, and protected natural areas at risk.

Disguised as a border-security initiative, H.R. 1505 is actually a direct assault on our public lands. Tell your representative to say no to H.R. 1505.

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Volunteer and Vagabond

When Sierra Club volunteer and self-described "vagabond" Japhy Dhungana isn't leading trips in the Sierra Nevada or bicycling from Los Angeles to the tip of South America, he's teaching people how to improve their hiking, navigation, backpacking, snow travel, and rock climbing skills through the Los Angeles Chapter's Wilderness Travel Course.

Here's a question for the history buffs among you: Why does he call his bicycle "Bucephalus?"

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Win a Trip to Tasmania

Enter Sierra magazine's Seventh Annual Paddling Sweepstakes and you could win an outdoor adventure trip to the Australian island of Tasmania from Tasmanian Expeditions. Runner-up prizes include paddling gear from NRS, a deluxe outdoor cook set from Mountain Safety Research, and a Werner kayak paddle.

The deadline for entries is June 30, 2012. Enter today!

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Picking on Polar Bears

Although polar bears and walruses are protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, the U.S. Department of Fish and Wildlife has now given Shell Oil official permission to "harass" both species during exploratory drilling in the Arctic this summer.

Shell may "disturb [them] in the wild by causing disruption of behavioral patterns, including, but not limited to, migration, breathing, nursing, breeding, feeding, or sheltering."

For a look at how animals in the Arctic live without Shell Oil's harassment, see Sierra magazine's slideshow of images from To the Arctic, by Florian Schulz

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From the Worst to the Best Job

Remember the worst job you ever had? We asked some Sierra Club employees to do exactly that -- and then to tell us a little about their current work for the Sierra Club. Hear for yourself why fish guts and donuts can't compete with protecting the planet.

We want to spread the word that if you're looking for a job (or simply wish you had a better job), the Sierra Club Careers website is the place to find out about meaningful positions and internships across the country working for America's largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization.

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