Thank you to the approximately 150 people who braved 45 degrees, strong winds, and overcast skies to make for a successful event. The passing automobile traffic was generally supportive. WBAY TV-2 and WFRV TV-5 were there to report on the event.
Report on the WBAY TV-2 (ABC) website.
Report on the WFRV TV-5 (We Are Green Bay) website.
Wrap-up news, pictures and video on the PeoplesClimate.org website.
Join the Appleton Climate Rally on April 29 from noon to 1:00 on the sidewalks around Houdini Plaza. This is a "sister event" for the Climate March on Washington, DC organized by the Peoples Climate Movement. The Peoples Climate Movement is a project of over 50 organizations working together to solve the climate crisis and address the growing pollution of our air and water, while also assuring the creation of good jobs in our communities. Beyond the steering committee, this project is supported by over 500 other partner organizations.
Please bring a banner or sign and prepare to be visible to traffic and maybe help make some fun noise. We are not blocking the streets or sidewalks. This is a friendly event.
Read up on climate change or other environmental issues and come up with a clever sign to help share the idea. Issues include climate change, pipelines, fracking, water quality, air quality, animal and plant habitat, mining, parks and green spaces, renewable energy. (See the videos below)
This effort is being organized by the coalition formed out of 2014’s People’s Climate March, which brought over 400,000 people to the streets of New York City and many more around the world.
The April 29 march comes in response to widespread outrage against President Trump’s disastrous anti-climate agenda - including his executive orders advancing the Keystone and Dakota Access pipelines - as well as his attacks on healthcare, immigrants, and programs and policies that improve the lives of all Americans. The event will cap off 100 days of action to fight Trump’s proposals to reverse climate action, dismantle our government and hand power over to the one percent.
Over 145 protests in local communities took place across the country in the first 100 hours of the Trump presidency, demonstrating widespread opposition to the administration’s anti-environment and corporate agenda as part of an ongoing campaign organized by the People’s Climate Movement.
Background and History: The People’s Climate Movement grew out of the largest climate march in U.S. history in New York in September of 2014, creating a groundbreaking coalition of green and environmental justice groups, labor unions, faith, students, indigenous peoples and civil rights groups working to advance a climate agenda rooted in economic and racial justice.
With the 100 days of action and April march, this coalition will leverage their power once again, to resist the Trump administration and corporate leaders’ efforts to thwart or reverse progress towards a more just America.
Now more than ever, it will take everyone to change everything. So, the People’s Climate Movement is calling on everyone to join in resisting Trump, his crooked administration and the one percent who are running our country.
Learn more at: https://peoplesclimate.org/
"Power conceded nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will." ~Frederick Douglass
"To change everything, we need everyone." ~People's Climate March
"To change everything, we need everyone, everywhere." ~People's Climate Movement
ZERO: The amount of progress we'll make if we stay home. There's no guarantee this will work. The only thing that's for sure is if we stay home, nothing will change - except the climate.
Need some more inspiration? Check out these VERY SHORT videos:
- Climate Change Disruption (video trailer) was shown to inspire participation of the 2014 People's Climate March.
- Wrap-up video of the September 21, 2014 People's Climate March in New York City, and 2,646 supporting rallies in 162 countries.
- Preparation for Paris Climate Summit (Nov/Dec 2015) with video trailer for 'This Changes Everything'
- President Obama's Clean Power Plan introduction video (August 2015)
This event neatly wraps up Earth Day Week. Earth Day began with teach-ins and citizens interested in making changes. The first Earth Day on April 22, 1970, activated 20 million Americans from all walks of life and is widely credited with launching the modern environmental movement. The passage of the landmark Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, Endangered Species Act and many other groundbreaking environmental laws soon followed. Twenty years later, Earth Day went global, mobilizing 200 million people in 141 countries and lifting environmental issues onto the world stage. More than 1 billion people now participate in Earth Day activities each year, making it the largest civic observance in the world.
Everyone who participated in the Appleton Science March on April 22 should return for this event.
Interesting Links:
John Gurda column (03/31/17): The end of winter may signal bigger change ahead for Earth's climate.
About this event:
This is a rally. No speeches. No march. Please bring a sign to tell your message. Maybe bring a spare sign for someone who needs one. If you have an appropriate musical instrument to make some joyful noise (drums, bells, tambourines) consider bringing with you. For one hour we will show Appleton that we care about climate change and environmental justice. We are a dot on the US map showing support for the national Climate Marches. We hope the media notices.
Resources and ideas for signs.
--Questions To--
Event Chairperson: Alan Lawrence, (h) 920-730-9515, alan_lawrence99@yahoo.com
