Climate Justice Unity March

May 1, 2017 by Ed Fallon
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Dear Friends, To build momentum for the People’s Climate Movement, Bold Iowa and its partners are organizing an eight-day, 80-mile Climate Justice Unity March. Marchers will set out from Indigenous Iowa’s Little Creek Camp near Millersburg on April 22 and arrive at the Iowa State Capitol in Des Moines at 1:00 p.m. on April 29 for a huge rally. The People’s Climate Movement is gaining momentum for a landmark day of action on April 29, marking the 100th day of the Trump Presidency. The major Continue reading →

Toilet paper provided; bring your own towel

April 30, 2017 by Ed Fallon
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Dear Friends, Q: What’s more challenging than marching ten miles a day for eight days? A: Organizing the logistics to make such a march possible. Seriously. Shari Hrdina, Sarah Spain and I have done this before, organizing the coast-to-coast Great March for Climate Action in 2014. Did we learn our lesson? Apparently not. Here we are again, organizing the Climate Justice Unity March reminded on a daily basis just how complex are the logistics of a march of 25 people. One example: Check out these pictures of Continue reading →

Stepping Forward for Climate Unity

April 29, 2017 by Ed Fallon
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Dear Friends, As we build to the big rally on April 29, I am all kinds of excited about the upcoming Climate Justice Unity March! We have 20 people planning to march each day, and if you’d like to participate for one day, or the entire week, there’s still time to sign up. Click here to sign up. Within the past 24 hours, I’ve spoken with mayors of two of the small towns we will stay in. What they are most excited about is the Continue reading →

Climate Justice Unity March: Day 1

April 28, 2017 by Ed Fallon
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Saturday, April 22, 2017 – Little Creek Camp to Deep River (12.8 miles) Today saw three notable “firsts,” none of them good. Our troupe of 25-30 marchers were flipped off three times by passing drivers. I’ve walked 700 miles along Iowa’s highways and gravel roads and never had someone do that to me. Also today, as we were taking a break on a gravel road, I walked a short distance across a field to talk with a young farmer who was watching us. I introduced myself, explained Continue reading →

Climate Justice Unity March: Day 2

April 27, 2017 by Ed Fallon
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Sunday, April 23, 2017 – Deep River to Montezuma (10 miles) As we circle up this morning and prepare to leave Deep River, a man driving an ATV pulls up. He introduces himself as Darrin Ehret — the guy next door who put up the Confederate flag yesterday. He was surprised at how quiet and respectful we were last night, and that inspired him to come over. Based on the things he’d heard on Facebook, he was expecting all kinds of noise and bad behavior. Continue reading →

Climate Justice Unity March: Day 3

April 26, 2017 by Ed Fallon
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Monday, April 24, 2017 – Montezuma to Searsboro (9.5 miles) Searsboro is one of those small, forgotten Iowa towns bypassed by the main highway. It’s a sprawling community of 142 people, built on hillocks tucked away in a valley along English Creek. I’ve driven by Searsboro dozens of times, wondering what it was like but never bothering to stop. From the highway you see only a few of Searsboro’s houses. Today, as our march winds its final mile over and around several steep, rolling hills, Continue reading →

Climate Justice Unity March: Day 4

April 25, 2017 by Ed Fallon
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Tuesday, April 25, 2017 – Searsboro to Sully (8.5 miles) As I pack up my tent this morning, Sarah informs me that she woke with a pit in her stomach, an odd sense of foreboding. She’s spoken with Shelley Buffalo and Fernando Manakaja as well, and they also have the same sense of unease — an intuition that someone or something may try to harm us today. I take their intuition seriously. Our marching column is tight, and we walk two-by-two on the gravel shoulder Continue reading →

Climate Justice Unity March: Day 5

April 24, 2017 by Ed Fallon
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Wednesday, April 26, 2017 – Sully to Reasnor (10 miles) We scramble out of our tents early today for the ride to Des Moines for Donnielle Wanatee’s trial. She was arrested for trespass at Governor Branstad’s office during the February 22 Day of Action Against DAPL. Donnielle pled “not guilty” and asked for a jury trial. The judge denied her request. Nevertheless, she persists. It’s a miserable morning. The wind and rain make it impossible for our cook, Chap Myers, to keep the stove lit. Continue reading →

Climate Justice Unity March: Day 6

April 23, 2017 by Ed Fallon
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Thursday, April 27, 2017 – Reasnor to Prairie City (11 miles) The weather has gone cold and damp, with temperatures 20 degrees below average. Days like this give fodder to the handful of people who completely deny climate change, with comments like, “Gee, we could sure use some global warming now.” Yet the vast majority of Iowans know the climate is changing, although there remains disagreement over the cause. My entirely unscientific estimate is that about half the people we’ve met on the March accept Continue reading →

Climate Justice Unity March: Day 7

April 22, 2017 by Ed Fallon
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Friday, April 28, 2017 – Prairie City to Pleasant Hill (14 miles) Today promises to be the most difficult of the March: 14 miles in cold, rainy weather along a busy four-lane highway. We’re soaked both from above and below, as trucks barreling along spray us when they pass. It’s a testament to the commitment and perseverance of our group that ten marchers make it every step of the way in such conditions. At our rest stop at the 5.2 mile mark, we decide to break into two groups — one Continue reading →