We Marched for the Climate
May 15, 2017
By: Mary Godnick - Adirondack Council Marketing and Fund Development Assistant
On Saturday, April 29, Adirondack Council staff, members and friends marched with 200,000 other environmental advocates from across the country at the People’s Climate March in Washington DC. The march started around 2pm on at the foot of the U.S. Capitol and ended surrounding the White House. Despite the oppressive hot weather, spirits were high, and we enjoyed meeting many friendly faces. 
The groups marching ranged from large national organizations, to individuals who simply wanted to show their support. Some groups orchestrated elaborate artwork and choreography, other groups came as families with homemade signs. While the range of causes represented was very diverse - wilderness, wildlife, clean air, water, jobs, Native American rights, protecting public lands, regulations and so on - most marchers shared one thing in common, a deep appreciation and love for our earth and its ability to sustain us.
A few different perspectives from Council staff that attended the event:
Adirondack Council Executive Director Willie Janeway says, “The climate march in DC and sister marches across the country and in the Adirondack North Country demonstrated how large, dedicated, diverse and motivated the constituency is that cares about clean water, clean air, clean energy, public health, and preservation of nature and wildlife.” He says that the march was inspiring in that the time and effort people from near and far put into attending the event was a huge commitment to having their voices heard.
Another participant in the climate march, Kevin Chlad, Adirondack Council Director of Government Relations says, “I really enjoyed running into some of our friends from the Adirondacks. These were people we had no idea would attend, but then we ran into them by surprise! It was a joy to stand with others that care so deeply about the Adirondacks that they made the trip down to our Nation’s Capital.” I can’t count how many times passersby said to us “I love the Adirondacks!” or “Awesome, I grew up in the Adirondacks!”
Kevin explains how it felt to be surrounded by hundreds of thousands of other environmental advocates. “The attacks we have seen on the Clean Power Plan have been troubling, but to stand with a crowd of 200,000, and know that there are many other marches around the country, was empowering.”
Dana Mancini, Outreach Coordinator at the Adirondack Council says, “It was beyond incredible to be a part of such a large movement towards the protection of the environment. Sometimes, it can feel like you’re alone in this fight, but attending the climate march showed me that 200,000+ other environmentally like-minded people were out there fighting for the same thing that I was, with many more people cheering us on from afar. It was truly invigorating.”
To me, the march was a reminder that our country, and world is connected by the ecosystems that we need to survive. We can’t fight for the environment alone. A policy in the midwest very much impacts the mountains to the east because of wind currents. If our rivers and streams in the Adirondacks are not protected, they will damage water quality for communities outside of the Adirondack Park. An environmental problem can spread through county, state and national boundaries without passport. It doesn’t matter what side of the political spectrum you fall on, we all need clean air and water to live a healthy life.
Thank you so much to everyone that marched with us, and showed your support. We couldn’t do what we do without the support of our members and supporters near and far.
|
||||
