March for Environmental Hope!
March for Environmental Hope!
:: June 24 - 28, 2016 ::
San Francisco - Sacramento
Dear Friends,
Our children's future, and that of our planet, is under threat from fear. Fear of nuclear energy is causing a decline in clean energy, leading to increased global warming and energy sprawl. In California and around the world nuclear power plants are being closed prematurely and replaced by fossil fuels.
In California, the loss of San Onofre means losing the equivalent of all of the state's solar production — and adding the carbon emissions equivalent of 1.7 million cars to the road because of the resulting switch to natural gas.
Now California's last nuclear plant Diablo Canyon --which could run until 2065-- is at risk of being closed early due to public fear and ignorance. Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom is trying to close the plant early through his position on the California Lands Commission. This could be our last chance to save Diablo Canyon.
“This could be our last chance to save Diablo Canyon.”
As mothers, environmentalists, and nuclear power plant experts, we started Mothers for Nuclear so we could have a conversation directly with women and mothers. For 40 years, a small group of anti-nuclear activists has manipulated the fears of women and mothers in particular. Today, women are far more likely to be afraid of nuclear power than men.
If we are to protect the planet for all of today's children as well as future generations-- that has to change.
And so we are happy to announce we will be organizing a March for Environmental Hope, June 24 - 28, from San Francisco to Sacramento. All are welcome — moms, dads, kids, single people — for any section of the march, or all of it! We will be marching with our husbands, children, family and friends. We hope you'll join us!
On the morning of June 28, we will rally to protect clean energy in Sacramento. We will join forces with all the other Diablo Canyon supporters who come up to Sacramento for the California Lands Commission Meeting. Then at 10 am, we will attend the meeting which could decide the fate of Diablo Canyon.
The March is also a fundraiser for Mothers for Nuclear and we are asking marchers to ask friends and families to make pledges to support the walk.
We are doing the march for our kids, so we are making it fun for our kids — and for us. We have a group camping site at Lake Solano, and there are nearby hotel and Airbnb options. Every night we have a cook-out, a sing-a-long, and famous guests from around the world to eat and sing and play with us. There will be special games for the kids, great food, cold drinks and s'mores.
Every lunch and dinner we hope to dialogue and break bread with people about our common energy and environmental future.
“We are doing this for our children, so we want it to be fun for them — and for us.”
We hope the march becomes an extended conversation, and are seeking volunteers to help us integrate social media, film and the arts. We are asking everyone who marches us with us to do something — help with meals, sing a song, bring a children's game.
We are starting with a rally in San Francisco on June 24. After the gathering, we plant to start our march with a ferry ride from San Francisco to Vallejo, where we will spend the night. We will spend the next three days marching through cities along the route to Sacramento.
Safety will be our highest priority. We know it will be hot and so we will do our marching in the early morning and late afternoon. Those who would like to march less can do so by getting rides in shuttle vehicles.
We can use your help in other ways. We need volunteers to help with every aspect of organizing the March. And we need donations. We have hired a full-time march organizer, and he's busy obtaining permits, insurance, camping reservations, and also arranging our community events and food.
It's not too late to reverse the decline of clean energy, and protect nuclear plants threatened by public fears and misunderstandings. A better future awaits.
Will you join us?
Sincerely,
Heather and Kristin