Here’s the latest from Mary (received on July 15):
The Climate March is going well. We are in Nebraska now, my home state. I’m taking a little time away from the March to connect with family & friends here. I’ll be back with the marchers on Friday when we help build an energy barn right in the path of the Keystone XL Pipeline in Branson, NE. The www.climatemarch.org webpage has lots of pictures, video, and updates on the various places we’ve visited and people we’ve met along the way, if anyone wants to see more details.
Today I’ll return to my hometown of Neligh, NE to visit with a friend who is reaching the end of her life. I have a brother there, as well, so it gives me a chance to catch up with him, too.
Traveling 15 miles a day (on average – some days are 10, some are 20 mile days), camping in tents every night, and feeding the group from the back of a U-Haul truck is pretty demanding. There are about 30 core folks who are doing it daily, and others join and leave as their schedules allow.
We have seen some gorgeous scenery and we’ve met marvelous people along the route. I cannot believe how good the food has been, and there have been very few interpersonal problems along the way. I feel safe, engaged, and well-nurtured on this trip, and we have yet to be arrested. There’s many, many meetings, and all kinds of work groups to keep it all coordinated.
Part of our mission is to leave behind a stronger social fabric. We try to connect locals who share the same interests and passions, but have not yet worked together on issues. The Citizens Climate Lobby is an ally, and we spread the word on how folks can connect to start their own chapters.
The hail damage across this section of Nebraska will spell big losses for the crop insurance folks. Winds have been high enough to twist irrigation rigs into unworkable pretzel-like sculptures in some fields. Perhaps those directly affected by intensifying weather like this will see that climate change is real, it is happening now, and what is in store for us is very worrisome. We’ve been faced with a lot of right-wing-radio listeners who repeat the notion that the world has *always* been changing, or that other planets are also heating up so it is not human-caused, or that only God can control future weather systems so there is nothing that can be done by human hands to intervene.
Living without many American conveniences (air conditioning, dependence on personal automobiles, indoor plumbing, McMansion-sized homes, etc.) has raised my awareness of how addicted to fossil fuels we are. Finding alternatives has been fun, though. We use sun ovens to bake some foods and heat water. Our no-water/no-chemical eco-commodes have exceeded my expectations for sanitary waste disposal. Those 1-mile trips or short-distance errands now seem so much more do-able by foot than in the past. Full closets and stuffed storage spaces seem silly after toting all my belongings around with me; I’ve realized how little it really takes to support one’s self, if you are willing to embrace voluntary simplicity.
Birdie is having a great time, though we are now into tick country and she has to be checked regularly for those blood-sucking pests. Would that it were as easy to remove the parasitic economic drains that infest our social structure. The profits that are amassed by the telecommunication industry for using public spaces to deliver their “product” to the millions of individual households seem far more damaging and dangerous than the insects!
Ah well – ever onward. On July 19 we are joining with others to build an energy barn right on the pathway of the proposed Keystone XL Pipeline. Let the country and the world see that there are committed individuals who value renewable energy sources over continuing dependence on fossil fuels. As the bumper sticker says – be the change you want to see in the world!
For anyone who would like to help support our efforts, the website www.climatemarch.org has a “donate” button and donors can even choose to have their contributions help defray the $20/day cost that individual marchers are asked to raise to keep the Great March for Climate Action going. We know that not everyone has the ability or opportunity to take time to march, but that they are supportive and would like to participate in some way. For those who cannot march, and who cannot afford to donate, we ask that they keep us in their thoughts and prayers as we walk across our country raising awareness.
Love to all,
Mary