Marquette Shows It’s Ready For Change
NMU STUDENTS ORGANIZE LOCAL MARCH AS PART OF WORLDWIDE EVENT
Marquette, MI – Residents from Marquette and around the U.P. came together to take local action on a global issue today as part of the larger People’s Climate March movement happening around the world. Despite rain and cold weather families and NMU students showed up Sunday September 21, 2014 to participate in a march from the South Marquette Power Plant to the Presque Isle Power Plant to help promote climate awareness in our community.
NMU students from Jess Thompson’s Environmental Campaigning class lead other community members in a march to promote climate change awareness in Marquette, MI, Sunday, September 21, 2014. (photo by Ron Caspi)
On the global scale tens of thousands of people across 150 countries are taking to the streets to demand action on climate change from their world leaders as they prepare for a United Nations summit in New York City on Monday. This worldwide action has been named the People’s Climate March and is the largest global call-to-action on climate change in history.
NMU Professor of Communications and Performance Studies, Jess Thompson facilitated our local march as a way to put classroom studies into action in her Environmental Campaigning class after showing the 350.org documentary “Disruption” to her students. The documentary speaks about the current climate disruption cycle and how people need to disrupt the status quo in order to enact the changes necessary for our societies to progress.
Marquette community members hold signs to show their support for taking action on climate change issues as part of the worldwide People’s Climate March. (photo by Ron Caspi)
Inspired by this concept the students wanted to do something and the idea for the Marquette march came together as they began searching for a project that would be meaningful, symbolic, and could connect the community with the university. Students said they wanted to get involved to promote awareness, have a local impact, and make a difference. NMU student Molly Rinke from Grand Rapids, MI said, “You have to start somewhere and awareness is the first step.”
Their teacher Jess Thompson was very excited and proud of her students at Sunday’s march in Marquette as this project enabled them to put into action the things they have been studying in class. Said Thompson, “Today we’re walking the talk. As a parent, community member, and educator I think the time is now!”
Some of the goals for environmental organizations to fight climate change are:
- to power our communities with 100% renewable energy by 2050
- reduce carbon emissions and gases contributing to climate change worldwide
- stop government support of projects that contribute to climate change like oil drilling and fracking
Think all this is possible? Not likely as long as we allow ourselves the luxury of self-pity and remain in a state of feeling powerless and overwhelmed. Enacting change starts with having conversations and by taking local action. You certainly can’t fight climate change from your sofa!
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