On Saturday, April 29 th over 1,000 citizens gathered at Congo Square in New Orleans to demand that the local, state and Federal governments pay attention to our concerns, and that their interests are for the good of all, not just for the pocketbooks of a few.
There was a great line-up of speakers - people representing groups such as 350.org, The Louisiana Bucket Brigade, and, of course, the Delta Chapter Sierra Club! We were there - embodied at a well-staffed booth in Congo Square and by many marching members. The national Sierra Club and the Delta Chapter were sponsors of the national Climate March in Washington D.C., as well as a local sponsor of the New Orleans march.
In addition, Kirk Green, a member of the Baton Rouge Group and our Chapter Political Chair, spoke to the crowd of over a thousand, and addressed the need for concerned citizens and groups to work together to bring environmental concerns into union with the rights of women, indigenous peoples and peoples of color, the LGBTQIA community, labor unions, and also families - those wishing to leave more than a wasteland for their loved ones in generations after ours.
Kirk spoke on the after effects of a government that ignores science: “This is happening right now at local levels allowing development in the floodplains of the Scenic River System, building slab houses and paving over areas where water naturally flows. Then when it floods and destroys the lives of families, the developer is nowhere in sight, he already made his money and is laughing all the way to the bank. We have seen firsthand the effects of flooding, from the desolation of Katrina to the recent floods of last year. We know the real consequences, it was our friends and families that lost everything, it was our neighbors and ourselves that paid the price. We are the ones sitting on the frontline of a changing world.”
He continued, commenting on coastal erosion and salt water intrusion, and mentioned that much of the damage was done by oil and gas development and by the BP Deep Water Horizon disaster in particular. “This is why oversight and regulation are necessary, only with government standards and interventions will the oil companies be held responsible for their practices and mistakes.”
There was a great line up of concerned and affected citizens, organizations and several local politicians, all speaking on the need for renewable and sustainable energy and for an environmental revolution. This will only happen if YOU get committed to making changes, to join local organizing efforts in your community, to build power from the ground up. Success is only meaningful if it's followed by more sustained action.
Take your demands to city halls, state legislatures, courthouses, voting booths, and beyond. Find your local Sierra Club meetings and get involved! Stay involved! You are the change that you want to see!