Forward on Climate Rally

Have you ever opened an email, read it and thought to yourself, "This is important.  I need to be there.  Sign me up!"  That's what immediately popped in my head back at the beginning of January when I opened the first email from 350.org about the Forward on Climate Rally in DC.  My immediate desire to want to be there stemmed from this quality that I have about believing in the difference we can make together versus being one person.  As individuals sure we can do a lot, but together... that's where amazing stuff happens.

Going to the Forward on Climate rally was a chance to let President Obama truly see how passionate and committed we are about him rejecting the Keystone Pipeline and moving our country away from dirty energy to clean renewable energy sources.

So on February 15, my family and I made the 5 1/2 hour drive to Washington, DC because we knew it was important for us to be there.  Having never been to Washington, DC we spent Friday and Saturday going to museums, ice skating and touring our nation's capitol.  Then on Sunday, we made our way to the Washington Monument to join the largest climate rally in history!

Walking to the Washington Monument was a sight to behold... people were streaming in from all directions... all headed to the same place-- Forward on Climate.  

The temperatures hovered around freezing, the wind was biting and my kids were definitely affected by it all.... and expressing it.  As we were crossing the street, a random act of kindness was bestowed upon us.  A man overheard my kids say they were cold, reached in his pocket and as he gave me some hand warmers he said, "for your kids. hopefully they'll help warm them up."  Unfortunately, the hand warmers or hot chocolate just couldn't get my kids past their cold feet. :(  My husband decided to do the best thing for our three kids and took them to some museums to warm up while I stayed at the rally.

There I was in the middle of over 40,000 people... 

I'll be honest, I was a little nervous when my family first left.  Then just like that, I quickly realized that not only were these 40,000+ people passionate about our environment and clean energy... they were also SUPER friendly. The energy was unbelievable.  The speakers were inspiring and moving... there's something about hearing someone else say what you've been thinking AND hearing those words loud and clear over a speaker system.  You ever had that feeling where it feels like your heart is smiling?  My heart was smiling.  Being at the rally felt like everything was exactly as it should be.  People coming together... really coming together for a common cause.  

One thing that I often say about the issue of climate change is that it has no barriers.  This movement is about everyone.  Being at the rally, it was easy to see that this movement goes beyond race, religion, ethnicity, age, nationality... we're all connected in this great big beautiful world.  And at the Forward on Climate Rally it really showed.

I saw first hand that there are a whole lot of people who care.  People who want to make the world a better place.  People who care about the future of our planet.

Were you at the rally?  What did you think?

Oh yeah... check out this highlight video and be inspired.

We told Obama how we feel about the climate.  Now he needs to hear it from our Senators, too!

Take action with The Sierra Club here:  Write Your Senators

Sooo.... what's next?  350.org is asking for our thoughts on what the next steps should be.

Take their survey here: 350.org "What's Next"