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Chuck Frank
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Former Foundation Board member Chuck Frank was raised in the car business, having owned the world’s largest Chevrolet dealership and numerous others. Chuck serves on the leadership team for Sierra Club’s Green Transportation campaign and is proud to play a role in bringing cleaner, greener solutions to American transportation.

Chuck says, “I’ve been a Sierra Club member since 1975, but when I joined the Foundation’s National Advancement Council in 1993, I wasn’t sure how I’d be greeted by Sierra Club, as a dealer selling SUVs. In fact, I was warmly embraced, as an industry insider who could advocate for higher fuel economy standards. I started supporting the campaign to raise fuel economy standards that very year.

I never bought the argument that by greening our automotive industry, we’d hinder our economy, consumer choice, or safety. But, until recently, consumers saw fuel economy as a financial issue, not an environmental one. Now it’s both—plus it’s an issue of national security. Gas prices and fuel economy standards are going up.

With the Club’s work, supported by The Sierra Club Foundation,  there will be a tipping point.  Alternative fuel vehicles will be on the same price level as fuel gasoline engines, saving consumers money at the fuel pump. Demand is building, and I absolutely believe that Sierra Club’s goals are attainable.

I always looked at the Sierra Club as an organization of citizens, who individually have a passion to accomplish something. Some of those citizens have the time and capability to get out here and do it themselves. Some of us don’t have the time, but have resources and the same passion, and together, through our extensive grassroots networks, we can accomplish our goals.”

Beyond Oil

Keeping fossil fuels in the ground while promoting low-carbon fuels, electric vehicles and smarter transportation systems.
Supporting Public Transit

Sierra Club supporters helped spare the Metro system in Washington, D.C. from fare increases and $44 million in service cuts. Working with the Sustainable Metro D.C. program, The Sierra Club Foundation supported administrative advocacy to ensure sufficient Metro funding and prevent $44 million in transit cuts. With The Sierra Club Foundation support, activists launched a website to let the public share concerns with decision-makers (resulting in more than 1,500 emails sent to public leaders), distributed thousands of flyers, secured support from local organizations and citizens, and generated more than 1,800 public comments in favor of affordable and accessible public transit.

Follow the North Star

Thanks to support from The McKnight Foundation to The Sierra Club Foundation, Sierra Club’s North Star Chapter has achieved significant progress moving Minnesota beyond oil through grassroots organizing, administrative advocacy, and public education. The chapter has protected open spaces, increased public demand for transit choices, and minimized sprawl throughout the Twin Cities by helping implement improved pedestrian and bicycle provisions, shaping the statewide transportation plan and regional allocation of transportation funds, and protecting urban parkland from development and privatization.

To learn more about the Beyond Oil Campaign on the Sierra Club's website, click here!

The Sierra Club Foundation stewards charitable contributions and assets responsibly. We are proud to have earned a four-star rating from nonprofit watchdog Charity Navigator, as well as an A+ from CharityWatch. TSCF is also an accredited charity in good standing with the Better Business Bureau's Wise Giving Alliance, meeting all 20 Standards for Charity Accountability. TSCF spends 90 cents of every dollar on environmental and conservation programs.