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News from the Keweenaw Peninsula Posted April 19, 2007 Text © 2007 Katie Alvord and Michele Anderson. Photos © 2007 Gustavo Bourdieu.

"Power is in Our Hands Walk" calls for reducing carbon emissions

HOUGHTON -- About 30 people attended a talk and pinwheel parade with the theme "The Power is in Our Hands" on a sunny Saturday, April 14, in Houghton. The event was part of a national campaign called "Step It Up, Congress -- Cut Carbon 80% Or More by 2050." More than 1,300 other "Step It Up" events took place across the country on this same day.

Heading down College Avenue in Houghton on Saturday, Apr. 14, "The Power is in Our Hands" participants carry pinwheels and signs as part of the national "Step It Up" campaign urging Congress to address climate change by cutting carbon emissions 80% or more by 2050. (Photo © 2007 Gustavo Bourdieu for Keweenaw Now.)

The Houghton event started with a talk at the Good Shepherd Lutheran Church. Anne Newcombe, who organized the event, talked of the need to cut carbon emissions to address climate change. We need personal change, she said, but we also need political change -- laws that will restrict carbon emissions. Newcombe also introduced Barry Solomon, Michigan Tech professor specializing in energy issues, who gave advice about conservation techniques such as using efficient lightbulbs and appliances.

The parade walkers carried a banner stating, "Step It Up, Congress - Cut Carbon 80% by 2050" and a series of six signs that said, all together, "The Power Is In Our Hands." Everyone walking also carried pinwheels.

"The Power Is In Our Hands" walkers carry a banner expressing solidarity with the national "Step It Up, Congress" event to address climate change. The walk from Houghton to Hancock and back was a family-friendly community event coordinated with over 1,000 other related events around the country. (Photo © 2007 Gustavo Bourdieu for Keweenaw Now.)

One participant, Carolyn Peterson of Houghton, said, "It was a wonderful day for a walk, and it was fun to be with others who think that public displays are effective in raising awareness. These were the same folks I've walked with for years -- the peace people -- although Saturday we were carrying different sorts of signs and banners. This isn't surprising, when you realize how the causes of peace and environmental responsibility (and social/economic justice) are interrelated -- you can't have one without the others."

Peterson added a quote from one of her favorite writers, Kurt Vonnegut, who passed away on Apr. 11, just a few days before the walk.

Noting Vonnegut's statement that protest demonstrations were 'as effective as banana cream pie,' Peterson added, "I think banana cream pie has great power to change minds!"

The parade went down College Avenue through Houghton, across the bridge, then back again to the Portage Lake District Library, where it ended with a short information session in the library's community room.

Walkers and bike riders gather at the Portage Lake District Library in Houghton after their walk from Houghton to Hancock and back on Apr. 14. They carried pinwheels, signs and this "Step It Up, Congress" banner. (Photo © 2007 Gustavo Bourdieu for Keweenaw Now.)

Some participants rode their bikes from home as a statement against fossil fuels and joined the walk.

One of these was Sue Ellen Kingsley of Hancock (Churning Rapids), who said, "I chose to participate because it was a gorgeous day, my friends were there, I could ride my bike, and [the walk] promoted some of my values." 

Joe Kaplan of Hancock said, "I chose to participate because I agree with President Bush -- America is addicted to oil, and it is critical that we begin to take steps to reduce our dependency on fossil fuels."

Kaplan said he thought the event was well-received because the message is positive and is a good fit for people from the Keweenaw who put a high value on ingenuity, self sufficiency and sustainability. He noted also that participants exchanged waves and smiles with a Shell Oil tanker stopped at a light in downtown Houghton.

"I support this effort because I want more control of my economic well-being," Kaplan added, "and I believe energy independence is the most important step I can take to assure a better future for myself and my neighbors."

Especially on the bridge, a number of passing cars slowed down to read the signs and watch the parade. Several also gave friendly honks and waves as they passed by.

Jim Dulzo, managing editor for the Michigan Land Use Institute, sent an email inviting Michigan residents to join the Step It Up events to push for genuine action against global warming.

"The turnaround in public awareness about this unprecedented challenge took way, way too long," Dulzo writes. "But now Congress is holding hearings, Al Gore likes several of the legislative proposals and ...ConocoPhillips said it supports mandatory /nationwide greenhouse gas reductions. Even car companies are starting to take this thing seriously. So -- there’s momentum, there’s hope…and there’s you and me and our friends and families, who need to keep on pushin'."

Visit the Step It Up Web site for Michigan to see the Houghton event listed with 43 others across the state.

Editor's Note: Keweenaw Now guest writer Katie Alvord is a local freelance writer and the author of a book about transportation reform, Divorce Your Car! Ending the Love Affair with the Automobile. She is doing a series of articles on climate change and renewable energies for Keweenaw Now. Read more about Katie on her contributor page. Gustavo Bourdieu is a photographer for Keweenaw Now.