Pete Myers honored by Sierra Club for 'Distinguished Service.'

Founder of EHN.org and DailyClimate.org recognized for efforts to increase the public's scientific literacy about our environment and health.

Pete Myers honored by Sierra Club for 'Distinguished Service'


Founder of EHN.org and DailyClimate.org recognized for efforts to increase the public's scientific literacy about our environment and health.

Sept. 15, 2017

Staff Report

Environmental Health News

Follow @envirhealthnews

Pete Myers, founder of Environmental Health Sciences, publisher of EHN.org and DailyClimate.org, was recognized Friday by the Sierra Club for his efforts to bring science before the public.

Myers was awarded the club's "Distinguished Service Award," one of several honors the organization bestows annually on those "who have made outstanding contributions to protecting the environment."

Awards are given in a variety of areas, including conservation, outings, administration, photography, journalism, and working with youth.

Sharing the Distinguished Service Award with Myers is former Rep. Bob Inglis, R-S.C., who spoke out in the House against climate change denial and offshore drilling before being unseated in the Republican Party primary in 2010. Today he runs the Energy and Enterprise Institute, a national campaign aimed at promoting free-enterprise solutions to climate and energy conflicts.

Myers created Environmental Health Sciences and its daily publication, Environmental Health News, in 2002 to provide the public, journalists, and environmentalists with sound scientific information from the field. He added The Daily Climate, a news site focusing on climate and energy, in 2007. Today the two sites reach more than 12 million unique viewers a year.

As fake news gains traction and tolerance of 'alternative facts' accumulates, the need for public understanding of good science grows ever more acute.

"Pete's goal has always been to close the gap between lab and layman," said EHS executive director Douglas Fischer. "As fake news gains traction and tolerance of 'alternative facts' accumulates, the need for public understanding of good science grows ever more acute."

The Sierra Club has bestowed national awards since at least 1961. The club's top honor, the John Muir Award, this year went to Jane Goodall, the British animal behavior expert, conservationist and UN Messenger of Peace who has dedicated six decades to animal research and conservation. Past winners of the Muir Award include the photographer Ansel Adams, Stanford University scientist Paul Ehrlich, former Vice President Al Gore and author Terry Tempest Williams.

The club created the Distinguished Service Award in 1971 to recognize "strong and consistent commitment to conservation over a considerable period of time" by individuals in the public sphere. Past honorees include Edmund Muskie, Frank Church, Pete Seeger and Gaylord Nelson.

EHN welcomes republication of our stories, but we require that publications include the author's name and Environmental Health News at the top of the piece, along with a link back to EHN's version.

For questions or feedback about this piece, contact Brian Bienkowski at bbienkowski@ehn.org.

Core habitat for spotted owl removed from maps: internal docs

Federal scientists mapped core critical habitat for the endangered spotted owl. Almost half of it, including old-growth, disappeared during negotiations with the B.C. government, internal documents reveal.

Senator Whitehouse & climate change

Senator Whitehouse puts climate change on budget committee’s agenda

For more than a decade, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse gave daily warnings about the mounting threat of climate change. Now he has a powerful new perch.
BC approves indigenous LNG plant
Province of British Colum/Flickr

BC approves new LNG plant, introduces oil and gas emission caps

Haisla Nation welcomes green light, but critics sound warning on threat to province’s climate plan.

Keystone executive gives Kansas legislators vague answers on oil spill cleanup

A vice president for Keystone’s parent company, TC Energy, could not specify how long cleanup might take under questioning by Kansas legislators.

Why huge masses of sargassum are floating to Florida and the Gulf

The great Atlantic Sargassum belt is a collection of sargassum patches that collectively weighs about 13 million tons and is large enough to be seen from space.
Norfolk postpones storm protection plan

Norfolk postpones storm protection plan vote after pushback from residents

The plan would provide walls and berms in the wealthy part of the city, while low-income neighbors would get grasses and elevated homes.

Deforestation on the rise in Quintana Roo, Mexico, as Mennonite communities move in

Satellite imagery and field visits reveal vast swaths of rainforest have been cleared for large-scale agriculture.

Arctic ice has seen an 'irreversible’ thinning since 2007, study says

New research suggests the decline was a fundamental change unlikely to be reversed this century — perhaps proof the planet has passed an alarming climactic tipping point.
From our Newsroom
oil and gas wells pollution

What happens if the largest owner of oil and gas wells in the US goes bankrupt?

Diversified Energy’s liabilities exceed its assets, according to a new report, sparking concerns about whether taxpayers will wind up paying to plug its 70,000 wells.

Paul Ehrlich

Paul Ehrlich: A journey through science and politics

In his new book, the famous scientist reflects on an unparalleled career on our fascinating, ever-changing planet.

oil and gas california environmental justice

Will California’s new oil and gas laws protect people from toxic pollution?

California will soon have the largest oil drilling setbacks in the U.S. Experts say other states can learn from this move.

popular stories 2022

Our 5 most popular reads from 2022

A corpse, woodworking dangers, plastic titans ... revisit the stories that stuck with our readers this past year.

Stay informed: sign up for The Daily Climate newsletter
Top news on climate impacts, solutions, politics, drivers. Delivered to your inbox week days.