Climate activism

Yesterday morning we participated in one of the actions sponsored by Step it Up 2007. We all met up at a church here in town, and marched to the Willamette River, where Focus the Nation was doing a polar bear plunge (to call attention to the plight of both polar bears and the Willamette River.) We all carried signs that read "Step it Up Congress! Cut carbon 80% by 2050." We got many supportive horn honks on our march, and only one thumbs-down. (Can you believe someone actually gave us a thumbs down? Yeah, I know, me too.)

There was a good crowd when we reached the park above the river.





Time for the plunge. Little chilly there?



Here goes:







Getting the hell out:



I didn't plunge, in part because I was kind of confused who was sponsoring what, and I signed up late. I probably would have if I'd had more notice, and time to psych myself up.

But it was a good day anyway, and it was Trailhead Kid's first real activist event. I remember when I was six years old, I had decided that Jimmy Carter was my candidate. So my dad took me and my brother down to a park in Indianapolis where he was speaking. He lifted me onto his shoulders and I hoisted my "Jimmy Carter for President" sign into the air. So I'm merely continuing a family tradition of early activism.