On April 29, I joined more than 200,000 individuals from across the country to march in Washington, D.C. to voice my concerns about the environment and the current state of the United States. It was the most moving, powerful events I have ever been to, and it inspired me to be a better version of myself, for me and my students.
The Climate March was beautiful, and it showed me that I am not alone in this fight. I don’t want to call it a fight, but I feel like it is. I feel like I am fighting against people who do not care. Against people who do not believe in science. Against people who continue this mentality of “I am just one person, I don’t make that much of a difference.” This fight to help stop climate change is as big as THE WORLD. And standing with over 200,000 people screaming “This is our planet, this is our future” does something to a girl – it gives me hope.
The one frustrating thing that happened at this rally (and obviously other events like this one) was that people just left their signs, and their trash, on the ground! How can you march for a cleaner Earth, AND THEN LEAVE YOUR TRASH?! I just don’t get it – can we please live in integrity people? Even before marching for the climate, my mom and I spent our nice 2 mile walk to the capital picking up other people’s garbage. There are trash (and recycling) bins all across the city, people. Use them. I took some signs back, one I gave to my cousin (who is an amazing artist), and others I plan to re-use for school projects. Even my little cousins pointed out the hypocrisy of marching for a clean planet, and then learning that the marchers left their trash for someone else to pick up.
At my school, it has been difficult to see that, even when we put out bins that are strictly for recycling, and when I ask nicely for others to recycle and use less waste, that other people just toss their trash in the recycling and think nothing of it. And I, and some like-minded coworkers, are the ones picking items that are recyclable out of the trash, and things that aren’t recyclable out of the recycling bins. It’s frustrating to see that, even when provided a better alternative, that it is not easy to break people of the naive mentality that “What I do doesn’t matter.” It also breaks my heart to hear from students that are passionate about recycling, ask “Can we give people a warning if they don’t recycle?”
In going to this march, I learned that I need to educate myself and others more on these alternatives, and why. Not only can I talk to people about the Pacific Garbage Island and other detrimental activities happening here in America (pipelines, National Parks being sold to companies, etc.), but I can be more connected with grassroots organizations looking to help the environment. It takes time to make this a habit, where it becomes natural to think of the planet. But if I do something, it is better than sitting on the sidelines and complaining about nothing getting done.
To see photos and videos from the march, you can go to the People’s Climate Movement. But I was able to meet some pretty spectacular people, and learn about some awesome organizations that I would like to share with you!
- Mom’s Clean Air Force – My mom and I met this super dude named Shawn, who helped us navigate our way to the event, since the subway systems in D.C. were mediocre at best that day. This organization advocates for clean air, with an emphasis on children’s health. With many of the most fundamental environmental laws at risk of being just nixed altogether, the reality of smog and wearing masks every day (like how children do in China) is becoming a terrifying reality.
- Association for Climate Change Officers – If you want some super cool education on becoming a modernized citizen, and become part of a changing workforce, the ACCO is for you. I met the founder Dan (in the picture with me and my mom, right) while marching, and not only did he save my mom from heat exhaustion, but he is a superhero training the current workforce for a sustainable future. I know he is partnering with companies and local governments to provide professional training to career individuals, and some of his future projects are branching out to a myriad of professional fields.
- The Climate Reality Project – Pretty self-explanatory: to deny science is to deny reality. The Climate Reality Project promotes facts about our rising sea temperatures, global temperatures, and the connection of our human impact on the O-zone and our world. Their mission is to advocate for a decrease in nonrenewable energy and fundamentally shift our consciousness into global sustainability. With our governmental sites depleting the real data about our deteriorating planet, projects like this are imperative to have an educated and informed population.
- Updraft – This is a super cool app to help you get started (and continue) your activism. It is promoted as the ‘central hub’ of activism, where you can find a protest location, representative’s contact information, local volunteer opportunities, etc. I believe they are still in the ‘planning’ stages of the app, since I can’t find the app in my Samsung Store, but I have subscribed and will update you on this app, because I love the idea. Especially for someone like me who is new to activism, this will be super useful to get involved with (and maybe promote) events!
