One of the scariest things you’ll see in the news today is the false notion that Americans must choose between jobs and healthy people. Corporate polluters and their allies refuse to face the facts -- that burning fossil fuels is making us sick, strangling our economy, and fueling climate disruption.
A healthy economy requires healthy people, clean air, and clean water. By putting the interests of American families above those of corporate polluters -- and moving beyond fossil fuels -- our leaders and policymakers can put us on the path to good jobs, economic opportunities, clean air, safe water, and a brighter future for our children.
On Saturday, September 24th, the Sierra Club will team up with 350.org, thousands of activists across the country, and millions of people around the globe for a Moving Planet day of action -- calling for our leaders to move beyond fossil fuels.
In every nation on earth, and especially in the U.S., people will be in motion -- powering themselves without fossil fuels. On foot, public transit, kayaks and canoes, skateboards, and bikes, people around the globe in every time zone will bring a tough and unmistakable message to our leaders: Time for you to get in motion too.
Here in the U.S., the Sierra Club and 350.org are organizing hundreds of mass actions in cities across the country. In Colorado, cyclists will bike past two dirty coal plants on the way from Boulder to Denver, ending at a massive rally at the statehouse. In Manhattan, bikers will ride from Columbus Circle to the UN building, demanding that the General Assembly take action on climate. And in San Francisco, thousands of Bay Area residents will descend on Market Street using public transit and then march in a parade calling for our leaders to help move us beyond fossil fuels and make strong investments in clean energy.
America and the world cannot afford any more inaction. We can build healthy, thriving communities and create new jobs by moving beyond fossil fuels and investing in clean energy, like wind and solar, that already has created millions of American jobs.
But to turn this vision into reality, we need people across the country to join together and make their voices heard, starting on September 24th, the Moving Planet day of action. We encourage anyone who can to sign up here for an event already planned in your community or to create your own. It’s time to get America off the dime, unstuck, and on the move. It starts September 24th.
Michael Brune
Bill McKibben
Michael Brune is the executive director of the Sierra Club. Bill McKibben is a co-founder of 350.org.