On Sunday February 17, over two hundred protesters gathered at Heritage Park in solidarity with climate-justice protests held across the nation. Protests in Washington D.C. drew an estimated 50,000 people for a rally organized by 350.org, Sierra Club, and the Hip-Hop Caucus.
Many participants at the Olympia rally signed petition urging Governor Jay Inslee to oppose the Keystone XL Pipeline and do everything in his power to curb greenhouse gas emissions. Members of Olympia FOR, the organization spearheading the petition, say they’ve collected more than 400 signatures thus far. ( Read more about their efforts here.)
The cold, windy weather didn’t faze protesters at the climate-justice rally. Several speakers addressed many topics relating the urgency of the situation with climate change: County Commissioner Karen Valenzuela, City Councilmember Steve Langer, Olympia FOR Confronting the Climate Crisis Committee Chair Bourtai Hargrove, 17 year old Sierra Club Coal-Free PSE organizer Chiara Dangelo, local author and economic visionary Gar Lipow, climate crisis educator Rhonda Hunter, environmental educator Paul Pickett, and Olympia F.O.R. organizer Glen Anderson, among several others.
On site was a mock-up XL Tar Sands Pipeline fire-breathing Worm Monster, it was breathing flames onto the planet Earth.
In the distance, a ship at the Port of Olympia, the M/V Star Harmonia, was alongside Marine Terminal pier to drop off ceramic fracking proppants, cargo to benefit the fossil fuel fracking industry.
A video with unedited rough footage during event set-up has been posted on YouTube, here.
Photos:
Beth Doglio, Climate Solutions organizer
Chiara spoke about PSE’s Colstrip mining/generating facility, and the Sierra Club Coal-Free PSE campaign.
Sustainable Clean Energy Equals Jobs!
Crowd Scene at Olympia Climate Justice Rally
Divest from Fossil Fuels, one of the Olympia FOR Confronting the Climate Crisis groups has been working on divestment strategies.
Stop the KXL Pipeline!
Phase out fossil fuels.
Pipeline at the Protest in Heritage Park
Rhonda Hunter Speaks at the Climate Justice Rally in Heritage Park
Olympia City Council Member Steve Langer, The Olympia City Council passed a resolution to oppose increased traffic of coal trains coming through the area.
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