A full bus of 56 dedicated activists and students traveled to Washington, D.C., to join nearly 50,000 others at the Forward On Climate Rally. For many, it was their first trip to DC to protest and rally. We documented the adventure along the way.
Kids Rally to Ask President Obama to Protect Their Future
News Coverage
Local students to go to D.C. climate rally (Traverse City Record-Eagle, 2/15/13)
The Michigan Land Use Institute and Sustainable TC organized a group of 56 people to caravan to the National Mall, 25 of whom are students from Traverse City, Kalkaska, Glen Lake, and Manistee.
Environmentalists fill National Mall to fight climate change (CNN, 2/17/13)
Marching, dancing and poster-waving environmentalists chanting “Hey, Obama. We don’t want no climate drama,” packed several blocks on and around Washington’s National Mall on Sunday, hoping to spur President Barack Obama to take strong measures against climate change.
Thousands at climate rally in Washington call on Obama to reject Keystone pipeline (Reuters, 2/17/13)
Thousands of protesters gathered on the Washington’s National Mall on Sunday calling on President Barack Obama to reject the controversial Keystone XL oil pipeline proposal and honor his inaugural pledge to act on climate change.
Climate change rally brings thousands to protest in Washington (Los Angeles Times, 2/17/13)
Climate activists descended on Washington, D.C., on Sunday in what organizers boasted was the largest climate-change rally in American history.
Climate Rally In Washington Brought Out 40,000 People, Organizers Estimate (Huffington Post, 2/17/13)
Hoisting signs that read “Forward on Climate” and “No on Keystone XL,” a massive group of protesters gathered on the National Mall Sunday to urge President Obama to take action on climate policy.
Holding Obama’s Feet to the Climate-Change Fire (NY Times blog, 2/18/13)
Thousands of activists from hundreds of environmental, social justice and community groups marched on Washington yesterday in the biggest climate rally ever held in the U.S. capital. Activists both called on President Obama to make good on his climate change policy promises and protested the Keystone XL pipeline project.
Twitter Feed (#ForwardTC2DC)
What is the Forward on Climate Rally about?
The Forward on Climate rally on Feb. 17 is organized by 350.org, a global grassroots movement launched by our good friend and author Bill McKibben to solve the climate crisis; the Sierra Club; and the Hip Hop Caucus. It’s shaping up to be one of the largest climate rallies in history, and the Michigan Land Use Institute is teaming up with Sustainable TC to send motivated activists to DC from northern Michigan.
But why now? What’s at stake?
This March, the permit application for the Keystone XL pipeline will once again reach President Obama’s desk. The pipeline would transport ‘tar sands’ oil from Alberta, Canada, through the U.S. to Texas, to be processed into crude oil. MLUI and other environmental advocates know the process of digging up and processing tar sands oil uses up vast amounts of water, and that its silty consistency means the pipes often break, polluting the surrounding watershed.
Tar sands also have a huge carbon footprint—much more than typical fossil fuels.
But MLUI is also concerned that the Keystone pipeline simply puts too many resources into a dirty and dying form of energy. By continuing to dig up and burn fossil fuels instead of transitioning to renewable energy, we contribute to the growing climate crisis that threatens us all.
Just ask the folks in New York and New Jersey. It’s crucial we support alternatives—energy efficiency, solar, and wind power, among others—to cut down on our greenhouse emissions.
