Sierra Club Honors Klein

By Amy Vorenberg

For Norfolk resident Martha Klein, protecting the environment is both a public responsibility and a deeply personal commitment. “I need winter; I can’t lose snow,” she said, describing the passion behind more than a decade of volunteer advocacy.

That commitment was recognized at the Connecticut Climate Fest on Sept. 19 when Klein received the 2026 Sierra Club Volunteer Service Award, a national honor recognizing her environmental leadership in Connecticut and across the Northeast. A registered nurse, Klein brought scientific knowledge and public health experience to efforts opposing methane gas pipelines and power plants. Her advocacy addresses the climate, health and rate-payer consequences of continued reliance on fossil fuels.

Sierra Club Connecticut State Director Samantha Dynowski credited Klein with strengthening environmental campaigns and opportunities for fellow advocates. Other chapter leaders praised her commitment to environmental justice and her role in building a welcoming, active volunteer community.

“I was fortunate that I have been able to volunteer full time, joining the Connecticut chapter of the Sierra Club Board in 2013,” Klein said, a moment when the organization was facing serious challenges. “When I joined the organization, it was failing,” she said. “It’s been a group effort to move the organization to a place where the chapter has influence and is able to lobby.” Klein served as chair of the Connecticut chapter from 2016 to 2018. She currently leads its Beyond Gas campaign and the No Pipeline Expansion Northeast coalition, also known as NOPE. Connecticut’s reliance on fossil fuels is part of what drives urgency of Klein’s commitment. For one thing, climate change threatens the seasonal rhythms she treasures, including those snowy winters. “This award is an honor that I truly share with many others,” she said, crediting the volunteers, staff, and local activists who sus-tain the work of protecting communities and the planet.