Hoiyin Ip
@hoiyinip.bsky.social
former Sierra Club California board member, conservation chair and zero waste committee co-chair
Sleepless in SIERRA: A Tale of CLUB Politics & Transparency
hoiyinip.substack.com
Sleepless in SIERRA: A Tale of CLUB Politics & Transparency
hoiyinip.substack.com
How equal is Sierra Club’s new Equal Opportunity Policy?
Here’s what hasn’t changed, and how it compares with California’s Civil Rights Dept process. Cultural change is a prerequisite for accountability, as formal complaints and legal actions continue to surface
hoiyinip.substack.com/p/how-equal-...
Here’s what hasn’t changed, and how it compares with California’s Civil Rights Dept process. Cultural change is a prerequisite for accountability, as formal complaints and legal actions continue to surface
hoiyinip.substack.com/p/how-equal-...
How Equal Is Sierra Club’s Equal Opportunity Policy?
Lingering complaints, concentrated power, and unseen costs of internal accountability.
hoiyinip.substack.com
February 2, 2026 at 5:04 PM
How equal is Sierra Club’s new Equal Opportunity Policy?
Here’s what hasn’t changed, and how it compares with California’s Civil Rights Dept process. Cultural change is a prerequisite for accountability, as formal complaints and legal actions continue to surface
hoiyinip.substack.com/p/how-equal-...
Here’s what hasn’t changed, and how it compares with California’s Civil Rights Dept process. Cultural change is a prerequisite for accountability, as formal complaints and legal actions continue to surface
hoiyinip.substack.com/p/how-equal-...
60 fundraising emails in December from Sierra Club and its foundation to me.
This isn’t just inbox fatigue. It’s about strategy, culture, and trust inside the Big Green group.
Short-term cash vs. long-term trust.
hoiyinip.substack.com/p/what-sierr...
This isn’t just inbox fatigue. It’s about strategy, culture, and trust inside the Big Green group.
Short-term cash vs. long-term trust.
hoiyinip.substack.com/p/what-sierr...
What Sierra Club’s Fundraising Reveals: Money vs. Trust
60 December appeals from the green giant and its foundation raise hard questions.
hoiyinip.substack.com
January 12, 2026 at 4:26 PM
60 fundraising emails in December from Sierra Club and its foundation to me.
This isn’t just inbox fatigue. It’s about strategy, culture, and trust inside the Big Green group.
Short-term cash vs. long-term trust.
hoiyinip.substack.com/p/what-sierr...
This isn’t just inbox fatigue. It’s about strategy, culture, and trust inside the Big Green group.
Short-term cash vs. long-term trust.
hoiyinip.substack.com/p/what-sierr...
You can disagree with New York Times’ investigation of Sierra Club. But when problems are reframed instead of addressed, they don’t go away. As accountability falters and morale erodes, effective use of well over $150M in annual donations becomes a fair question
hoiyinip.substack.com/p/accountabi...
hoiyinip.substack.com/p/accountabi...
Accountability After New York Times Investigation of Sierra Club
Leadership responses, power gatekeeping, and the accountability gap beneath fundraising.
hoiyinip.substack.com
December 29, 2025 at 4:37 PM
You can disagree with New York Times’ investigation of Sierra Club. But when problems are reframed instead of addressed, they don’t go away. As accountability falters and morale erodes, effective use of well over $150M in annual donations becomes a fair question
hoiyinip.substack.com/p/accountabi...
hoiyinip.substack.com/p/accountabi...
From promotion to suspension, from initiatives to inaction—nothing prepared me for my journey filled with surprises within Sierra Club, where hope, loyalty, and over $150M in annual donations flow into a culture that resists change.
hoiyinip.substack.com/p/the-secret...
hoiyinip.substack.com/p/the-secret...
The "Secret Society" Inside Sierra Club
Where over $150 million in annual donations intersects with awards, elections, loyalty, and hope.
hoiyinip.substack.com
December 8, 2025 at 4:46 PM
From promotion to suspension, from initiatives to inaction—nothing prepared me for my journey filled with surprises within Sierra Club, where hope, loyalty, and over $150M in annual donations flow into a culture that resists change.
hoiyinip.substack.com/p/the-secret...
hoiyinip.substack.com/p/the-secret...
Sierra Club’s internal politics often sideline its housing priorities. Until its governance and elections are reformed, the club will continue to struggle to meet the moment.
#ClimateJustice #HousingCrisis
hoiyinip.substack.com/p/housing-ho...
#ClimateJustice #HousingCrisis
hoiyinip.substack.com/p/housing-ho...
Housing: How Sierra Club Politics Lost Sight of Climate Justice
A clash between old guard and reformers grows inside the nation’s green giant.
hoiyinip.substack.com
November 17, 2025 at 4:44 PM
Sierra Club’s internal politics often sideline its housing priorities. Until its governance and elections are reformed, the club will continue to struggle to meet the moment.
#ClimateJustice #HousingCrisis
hoiyinip.substack.com/p/housing-ho...
#ClimateJustice #HousingCrisis
hoiyinip.substack.com/p/housing-ho...
I’ve been following the SNAP crisis closely. I once led a Sierra Club campaign to cut hunger and food waste—work that was ultimately stalled by internal politics.
Food insecurity can happen to anyone. It’s better to live with more compassion while we can help.
hoiyinip.substack.com/p/hunger-how...
Food insecurity can happen to anyone. It’s better to live with more compassion while we can help.
hoiyinip.substack.com/p/hunger-how...
Hunger: How Sierra Club Politics Lost Sight of Climate Justice
Falling donations and eroding trust raise questions about the nation’s green giant's priorities and impact.
hoiyinip.substack.com
November 10, 2025 at 5:11 PM
I’ve been following the SNAP crisis closely. I once led a Sierra Club campaign to cut hunger and food waste—work that was ultimately stalled by internal politics.
Food insecurity can happen to anyone. It’s better to live with more compassion while we can help.
hoiyinip.substack.com/p/hunger-how...
Food insecurity can happen to anyone. It’s better to live with more compassion while we can help.
hoiyinip.substack.com/p/hunger-how...
Sierra Club’s Equal Opportunity Policy 2.0 arrives amid lawsuits and elections—does it reform or codify the internal culture and leadership issues long criticized?
hoiyinip.substack.com/p/sierra-clu...
hoiyinip.substack.com/p/sierra-clu...
Sierra Club’s Equal Opportunity Policy Meets Defamation Test
HR complaint process update arrives amid lawsuits and leadership strain, exposing deep divides over power and fairness.
hoiyinip.substack.com
October 20, 2025 at 4:48 PM
Sierra Club’s Equal Opportunity Policy 2.0 arrives amid lawsuits and elections—does it reform or codify the internal culture and leadership issues long criticized?
hoiyinip.substack.com/p/sierra-clu...
hoiyinip.substack.com/p/sierra-clu...
Sierra Club’s award and election politics raise deeper questions about #trust, #leadership, and #accountability, especially amid Exxon’s defamation suit.
hoiyinip.substack.com/p/sierra-clu...
hoiyinip.substack.com/p/sierra-clu...
Sierra Club Awards and Elections: Politics Amid Defamation Lawsuit
Entrenched leaders are rewarded as infighting leaves the nation’s largest green group legally and morally exposed.
hoiyinip.substack.com
October 13, 2025 at 4:15 PM
Sierra Club’s award and election politics raise deeper questions about #trust, #leadership, and #accountability, especially amid Exxon’s defamation suit.
hoiyinip.substack.com/p/sierra-clu...
hoiyinip.substack.com/p/sierra-clu...
The nation’s largest Big Green has a documented record of #sexism — ranging from sexual assault allegations to internalized misogyny, intertwined with power struggles. Can the new executive director Loren Blackford deliver the reforms members have long demanded?
hoiyinip.substack.com/p/can-sierra...
hoiyinip.substack.com/p/can-sierra...
Can Sierra Club’s Female Executive Director Confront Its Sexism?
Then-president Loren Blackford once backed a vulnerable staffer. Can she lead broader reform years later?
hoiyinip.substack.com
September 22, 2025 at 6:11 PM
The nation’s largest Big Green has a documented record of #sexism — ranging from sexual assault allegations to internalized misogyny, intertwined with power struggles. Can the new executive director Loren Blackford deliver the reforms members have long demanded?
hoiyinip.substack.com/p/can-sierra...
hoiyinip.substack.com/p/can-sierra...
For Labor Day, I reflect on the work of Sierra Club members, community members, and journalists who shaped my activism—and why Sierra Club’s internal dysfunction is now a liability for the climate movement.
hoiyinip.substack.com/p/labor-day-...
hoiyinip.substack.com/p/labor-day-...
Labor Day: My Appreciation, Sierra Club’s Obligations
Recognizing the labor of activists, community members, and journalists. Urging Sierra Club to fix its dysfunction before it derails the green movement.
hoiyinip.substack.com
September 1, 2025 at 7:21 PM
For Labor Day, I reflect on the work of Sierra Club members, community members, and journalists who shaped my activism—and why Sierra Club’s internal dysfunction is now a liability for the climate movement.
hoiyinip.substack.com/p/labor-day-...
hoiyinip.substack.com/p/labor-day-...
Sierra Club’s leadership failures echo across the green movement and philanthropy. With internal elections ahead, will entrenched power structures be preserved, reformed, or dismantled? #electioneering
hoiyinip.substack.com/p/sierra-clu...
hoiyinip.substack.com/p/sierra-clu...
Sierra Club’s Crisis: A Case to End Internal Electioneering
A spectrum of voices weighs in as one Big Green group’s internal turmoil sparks a sector-wide reckoning.
hoiyinip.substack.com
August 25, 2025 at 5:38 PM
Sierra Club’s leadership failures echo across the green movement and philanthropy. With internal elections ahead, will entrenched power structures be preserved, reformed, or dismantled? #electioneering
hoiyinip.substack.com/p/sierra-clu...
hoiyinip.substack.com/p/sierra-clu...
Another turbulent leadership shakeup at the Sierra Club, but when will the culture that has harmed so many members be changed? #accountability
hoiyinip.substack.com/p/sierra-clu...
hoiyinip.substack.com/p/sierra-clu...
Sierra Club Fired Executive Director. The Hard Truth Stays.
Years of resistance to prioritizing accountability prove leadership struggles run deeper than executive shakeups.
hoiyinip.substack.com
August 18, 2025 at 4:54 PM
Another turbulent leadership shakeup at the Sierra Club, but when will the culture that has harmed so many members be changed? #accountability
hoiyinip.substack.com/p/sierra-clu...
hoiyinip.substack.com/p/sierra-clu...
Sierra Club once tracked #fossilfuel donations to CA lawmakers—then stopped. My findings show few grassroots green groups use such data to hold politicians #accountable.
Why does the climate movement struggle to confront power?
hoiyinip.substack.com/p/dirty-doll...
Why does the climate movement struggle to confront power?
hoiyinip.substack.com/p/dirty-doll...
Dirty Dollars: Sierra Club's Dilemma, Green Groups' Blind Spot
In 20 states with lobbying data, just two green groups use it to rate lawmakers—not Sierra Club, where moves against political money remain limited and slow.
hoiyinip.substack.com
August 4, 2025 at 5:30 PM
Sierra Club once tracked #fossilfuel donations to CA lawmakers—then stopped. My findings show few grassroots green groups use such data to hold politicians #accountable.
Why does the climate movement struggle to confront power?
hoiyinip.substack.com/p/dirty-doll...
Why does the climate movement struggle to confront power?
hoiyinip.substack.com/p/dirty-doll...
Who really holds power at Sierra Club?
Not just a climate fight — a struggle over internal culture, #accountability, and the future of environmental leadership under and beyond Ben Jealous.
hoiyinip.substack.com/p/sierra-clu...
Not just a climate fight — a struggle over internal culture, #accountability, and the future of environmental leadership under and beyond Ben Jealous.
hoiyinip.substack.com/p/sierra-clu...
Sierra Club's Unfinished Reckoning
Sidelined reform and looming layoffs continue to threaten the mission of the nation’s largest environmental group.
hoiyinip.substack.com
July 21, 2025 at 4:36 PM
Who really holds power at Sierra Club?
Not just a climate fight — a struggle over internal culture, #accountability, and the future of environmental leadership under and beyond Ben Jealous.
hoiyinip.substack.com/p/sierra-clu...
Not just a climate fight — a struggle over internal culture, #accountability, and the future of environmental leadership under and beyond Ben Jealous.
hoiyinip.substack.com/p/sierra-clu...
Wildfires, floods, and frontline struggle—while Sierra Club, the largest Big Green group, is locked in internal chaos. We can't afford this.
hoiyinip.substack.com/p/sierra-clu...
hoiyinip.substack.com/p/sierra-clu...
Sierra Club’s Ben Jealous on Leave, Volunteer Politics Persist
As frontline communities face wildfires, floods, and more, dysfunction inside the nation’s largest Big Green group burns resources we can’t afford to waste.
hoiyinip.substack.com
July 14, 2025 at 4:29 PM
Wildfires, floods, and frontline struggle—while Sierra Club, the largest Big Green group, is locked in internal chaos. We can't afford this.
hoiyinip.substack.com/p/sierra-clu...
hoiyinip.substack.com/p/sierra-clu...
Sierra Club faces mounting dissent as staff and chapter leaders demand change. But decades of dysfunction need more than a new executive director—true reform, starting with a 100-day #accountability plan. The stakes are too high to delay.
hoiyinip.substack.com/p/sierra-clu...
hoiyinip.substack.com/p/sierra-clu...
Sierra Club: Beyond Executive Director Ouster, Accountability?
Decades of internal conflict demand true organizational reform, not just personnel shifts.
hoiyinip.substack.com
June 23, 2025 at 5:25 PM
Sierra Club faces mounting dissent as staff and chapter leaders demand change. But decades of dysfunction need more than a new executive director—true reform, starting with a 100-day #accountability plan. The stakes are too high to delay.
hoiyinip.substack.com/p/sierra-clu...
hoiyinip.substack.com/p/sierra-clu...
What do 5 straight years of Sierra Club layoffs say about power, equity, and internal trust?
Union conflict, executive turnover, and broken promises in frontline communities raise hard questions.
#NonprofitAccountability
hoiyinip.substack.com/p/what-sierr...
Union conflict, executive turnover, and broken promises in frontline communities raise hard questions.
#NonprofitAccountability
hoiyinip.substack.com/p/what-sierr...
What Sierra Club Layoffs Reveal About Power
Years of executive controversy, budget crises, and disproportionate layoffs erode staff trust.
hoiyinip.substack.com
June 16, 2025 at 5:13 PM
What do 5 straight years of Sierra Club layoffs say about power, equity, and internal trust?
Union conflict, executive turnover, and broken promises in frontline communities raise hard questions.
#NonprofitAccountability
hoiyinip.substack.com/p/what-sierr...
Union conflict, executive turnover, and broken promises in frontline communities raise hard questions.
#NonprofitAccountability
hoiyinip.substack.com/p/what-sierr...
Is Sierra Club's future at stake? From Congress to its own ranks, age divides & leadership resistance are crippling vital work—at a time when urgency is everything.
#EnvironmentalPolitics #AdaptOrDecline #GenerationalDivide
hoiyinip.substack.com/p/beyond-the...
#EnvironmentalPolitics #AdaptOrDecline #GenerationalDivide
hoiyinip.substack.com/p/beyond-the...
Beyond the Age Divide: From Congress to Sierra Club
Entrenched leadership and generational divides have left Sierra Club struggling to meet the moment and retain relevance.
hoiyinip.substack.com
June 9, 2025 at 5:17 PM
Is Sierra Club's future at stake? From Congress to its own ranks, age divides & leadership resistance are crippling vital work—at a time when urgency is everything.
#EnvironmentalPolitics #AdaptOrDecline #GenerationalDivide
hoiyinip.substack.com/p/beyond-the...
#EnvironmentalPolitics #AdaptOrDecline #GenerationalDivide
hoiyinip.substack.com/p/beyond-the...
What will it take for Sierra Club to reckon with years of unresolved harm? L.A. County’s $4B reckoning is a warning. If the new board is serious about #justice, it must publish and implement a transparent 100-day #accountability plan.
hoiyinip.substack.com/p/sierra-clu...
hoiyinip.substack.com/p/sierra-clu...
Sierra Club’s Moral Test: Lesson from L.A. County’s $4B Settlement
The cost of inaction is rising. Sierra Club’s new board must choose accountability over avoidance—with a 100-day plan to prove it.
hoiyinip.substack.com
May 6, 2025 at 12:28 AM
What will it take for Sierra Club to reckon with years of unresolved harm? L.A. County’s $4B reckoning is a warning. If the new board is serious about #justice, it must publish and implement a transparent 100-day #accountability plan.
hoiyinip.substack.com/p/sierra-clu...
hoiyinip.substack.com/p/sierra-clu...
Is Sierra Club entering a new era with a younger board? More than fresh faces, real change in the 133-year-old org takes a shift in culture and conscience. May the new board heed Pope Francis’ call: “become painfully aware” of entrenched issues and “dare” to act
hoiyinip.substack.com/p/a-message-...
hoiyinip.substack.com/p/a-message-...
A Message for Sierra Club’s New Board: Lead Like Pope Francis
Sierra Club’s new board must confront old failures—Laudato si’ reminds us: real change demands painful awareness and daring action.
hoiyinip.substack.com
April 28, 2025 at 6:51 PM
Is Sierra Club entering a new era with a younger board? More than fresh faces, real change in the 133-year-old org takes a shift in culture and conscience. May the new board heed Pope Francis’ call: “become painfully aware” of entrenched issues and “dare” to act
hoiyinip.substack.com/p/a-message-...
hoiyinip.substack.com/p/a-message-...
This #EarthMonth, Sierra Club faces deepening trust erosion, emotional strain, and resignations—from an impactful director to environmental justice pioneer @drrobertbullard.bsky.social.
I’m calling for a 100-day plan for #accountability and healing.
hoiyinip.substack.com/p/sierra-clu...
I’m calling for a 100-day plan for #accountability and healing.
hoiyinip.substack.com/p/sierra-clu...
Sierra Club in Transition: What’s Left Behind?
Leadership holds the line while emotional resilience and trust unravel.
hoiyinip.substack.com
April 21, 2025 at 4:49 PM
This #EarthMonth, Sierra Club faces deepening trust erosion, emotional strain, and resignations—from an impactful director to environmental justice pioneer @drrobertbullard.bsky.social.
I’m calling for a 100-day plan for #accountability and healing.
hoiyinip.substack.com/p/sierra-clu...
I’m calling for a 100-day plan for #accountability and healing.
hoiyinip.substack.com/p/sierra-clu...
After four months of a leadership vacuum, today, a new era begins—marked by deep tensions and steep challenges.
From stalled campaigns to internal gridlock, here’s what Sierra Club California’s new director, Miguel Miguel, is stepping into.
hoiyinip.substack.com/p/sierra-clu...
From stalled campaigns to internal gridlock, here’s what Sierra Club California’s new director, Miguel Miguel, is stepping into.
hoiyinip.substack.com/p/sierra-clu...
Sierra Club California’s New Director Inherits a Fractured Legacy
After years of internal conflict and turnover, Miguel Miguel steps into a role shaped by deep tensions and a failure to meet the moment.
hoiyinip.substack.com
April 7, 2025 at 4:39 PM
After four months of a leadership vacuum, today, a new era begins—marked by deep tensions and steep challenges.
From stalled campaigns to internal gridlock, here’s what Sierra Club California’s new director, Miguel Miguel, is stepping into.
hoiyinip.substack.com/p/sierra-clu...
From stalled campaigns to internal gridlock, here’s what Sierra Club California’s new director, Miguel Miguel, is stepping into.
hoiyinip.substack.com/p/sierra-clu...
A @levernews.com report led to a Sierra Club executive’s resignation
But entrenched power dynamics remain. Internal politics keeps consuming resources—donations, pro bono legal aid & staff time—while draining morale, all of which should be focused on real impact
hoiyinip.substack.com/p/watchdogs-...
But entrenched power dynamics remain. Internal politics keeps consuming resources—donations, pro bono legal aid & staff time—while draining morale, all of which should be focused on real impact
hoiyinip.substack.com/p/watchdogs-...
Watchdogs, Executive Exodus: Sierra Club’s Leadership Crisis Continues
Sierra Club’s leadership crisis deepens as top executives resign amid accountability concerns, with watchdogs and media pressing for transparency.
hoiyinip.substack.com
February 18, 2025 at 4:42 AM
A @levernews.com report led to a Sierra Club executive’s resignation
But entrenched power dynamics remain. Internal politics keeps consuming resources—donations, pro bono legal aid & staff time—while draining morale, all of which should be focused on real impact
hoiyinip.substack.com/p/watchdogs-...
But entrenched power dynamics remain. Internal politics keeps consuming resources—donations, pro bono legal aid & staff time—while draining morale, all of which should be focused on real impact
hoiyinip.substack.com/p/watchdogs-...
Corporate giants deposed me for a Sierra Club lawsuit. Sierra Club told me to find my own lawyer. No lawyer had time for me. So I soloed and got a crash course in how the other side works.
Time to #reform Sierra Club - upcoming board election is our chance.
hoiyinip.substack.com/p/sierra-clu...
Time to #reform Sierra Club - upcoming board election is our chance.
hoiyinip.substack.com/p/sierra-clu...
Sierra Club, Take a Cue from Corporate Opponents
My deposition takeaway: Sierra Club must match corporate opponents' strategy and discipline to power activism and transform.
hoiyinip.substack.com
February 4, 2025 at 3:26 AM
Corporate giants deposed me for a Sierra Club lawsuit. Sierra Club told me to find my own lawyer. No lawyer had time for me. So I soloed and got a crash course in how the other side works.
Time to #reform Sierra Club - upcoming board election is our chance.
hoiyinip.substack.com/p/sierra-clu...
Time to #reform Sierra Club - upcoming board election is our chance.
hoiyinip.substack.com/p/sierra-clu...
Many Sierra Club staffers' expertise and passion are inspiring. But ongoing power struggles undermine leadership #integrity and hinder the club's ability to unite behind its mission.
Internal #transparency and #accountability are crucial for the #Trump fight.
hoiyinip.substack.com/p/house-divi...
Internal #transparency and #accountability are crucial for the #Trump fight.
hoiyinip.substack.com/p/house-divi...
House Divided: Sierra Club's Trump Fight Requires Internal Unity
Sierra Club must overcome internal leadership challenges, volunteer-staff dynamics, and transparency issues to effectively counter Trump's policies.
hoiyinip.substack.com
January 28, 2025 at 4:02 AM
Many Sierra Club staffers' expertise and passion are inspiring. But ongoing power struggles undermine leadership #integrity and hinder the club's ability to unite behind its mission.
Internal #transparency and #accountability are crucial for the #Trump fight.
hoiyinip.substack.com/p/house-divi...
Internal #transparency and #accountability are crucial for the #Trump fight.
hoiyinip.substack.com/p/house-divi...