A group of 300 UW-Madison students and local community members marched down State Street Saturday to the steps of the Capitol, demanding Congress ""Step It Up"" in the name of global warming.
Madison's march was just one of many protests nationwide pushing for the ""Step It Up"" movement and is the biggest grassroots environmental protest since Earth Day 1970.
The project, which is calling for Congress to cut carbon emissions in the United States by 80 percent by 2050, is the largest national movement in fighting global warming.
The group hosting Madison's Step It Up was The Hot Party, in conjunction with Wisconsin Student Public Interest Group, the Sierra Club and GW: FACT. The 300 participants gathered with signs, bicycles and dogs at Library Mall at noon, making their way down State Street and ending with a rally at the Capitol.
Ald. Austin King, District 8, Dr. David Houghton, UW-Madison professor of Atmospheric and Oceanic Science, and state Rep. Spencer Black, D-Madison, and a local sixth grader made speeches to the crowd.
George Martin, a member of the Wisconsin Green Party and co-chair of United for Peace and Justice, the largest peace coalition in the United States, also spoke. He said climate change is directly affecting political issues around the globe, citing the conflict in Darfur as an example.
""We are dealing with an administration that has not complied with the rest of the world,"" he said in regards to the Kyoto accords and U.S. multinational corporations. ""We cannot talk about the war in Iraq and look aside from the issue of global warming. It's so affected.""
Ian Erbe, 11, a sixth grader at a local middle school, learned about the issues of climate change this year from his teacher. He spoke to the crowd about the importance of parents teaching their children about the issue and implementing eco-friendly behavior. Erbe suggested bike riding instead of driving, or eating an apple for an after school snack instead of microwavable popcorn.
""It's hurting our world and affecting future generations to come,"" he said. ""It's happening.""
One crowd member, Ravelle Rosenberg, came from Janesville wearing a penguin suit for the march. In regards to the event she said, ""It did meet my expectations. I was really impressed by the outcome.""
Each group that came together throughout the United States took a group photograph.The photos will be sent to the Step It Up headquarters and compiled for Congress as a type of visual petition. At the rally, patrons were encouraged to write postcards to U.S. Senators Russ Feingold and Herb Kohl, personally requesting the 80 percent reduction in emissions. Roughly 200 postcards were written.
Madison was one of over 1400 other cities throughout the 50 states to organize community rallies and events. Bill McKibben, a 46-year-old scholar in residence at Middlebury College, conceived ""Step It Up."" He wanted a protest that expanded the country, with each protest being specific to the city, having scuba divers in Key West, Fla., and aerial art in Park City, Utah.
