Climate activists march 65 miles to Montpelier to push agenda

Michael Bielawski/TNR

YOUNG AND FOR THE EARTH : A crowd of a few hundred mostly young people gathered at the Statehouse on Tuesday to push for more action on climate change. Some of them traveled up to 65 miles to draw attention to their cause.

MONTPELIER — Hundreds of climate activists marched the streets of Montpelier on Tuesday, braving sleet and rain just to urge lawmakers to take action against global warming.

In all, they had traveled over 65 miles, starting in Middlebury.

The primary organizer was 350Vermont, joined by Sunrise Middlebury, Sunrise Burlington, Vermont Youth Lobby, Root Social Justice Center Youth 4 Change, and EnACT.

“During the journey of over 60 miles, walkers highlighted the climate consequences of the build-out of the Vermont Gas pipeline, while also celebrating and promoting examples of climate solutions,” said a statement from 350Vermont.

They arrived on the Statehouse steps singing songs and chants, and flooded the hallways with fists raised. They took turns reading out their core beliefs in the main lobby.

“Please protect our soils and remember that we are on stolen ground,” one person said.

“Please preserve winter in Vermont,” said another protester.

Yet another said, “Please support bills H.51, H.175, and S.66.”

H.51 and S.66, now in the House Committee on Energy and Technology and the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, respectively, would “prohibit the construction of fossil fuel infrastructure in Vermont.”

H.175 aims to “prohibit the exercise of eminent domain by utilities for purposes of fossil fuel infrastructure.” It also is in the House energy committee.

Zac Rudge, spokesperson for 350Vermont, told True North that the 65-mile journey was helped by supporters from local communities who provided temporary lodging.

“We stayed in churches, we stayed in town halls, we stayed in people’s homes,” he said. “Each community we went to provided a big potluck, which was amazing. Most of the communities we visited along the way centered around particular resistance against fossil fuel infrastructure.”

He noted Bristol and Hinesburg, which have been engaged in political resistance to a natural gas pipeline.

Julie Macuga, 350Vermont’s extreme energy organizer, issued a statement calling for a ban on all carbon-based energy infrastructure. This would include pipelines.

“Legislators are not acting swiftly to pass a ban on new fossil fuel infrastructure or other policies commensurate with the crisis at hand,” she said. “It can’t wait till next session.”

Ripton resident Bill McKibben, a co-founder of 350.org, also made comments blasting lawmakers for not doing more.

“People shouldn’t have to walk all the way across Vermont to get action on climate,” he said, adding that lawmakers “have essentially been climate delayers.”

Leif Taranta, of Middlebury, did the entire walk from start to finish and took on a role as spokesperson for the march. He was asked by True North about the higher costs for green energy alternatives.

“The idea behind the Green New Deal is that it should not be a burden on any person, especially on low-income people, especially people of color and indigenous people,” he said. “These people have already been burdened by the systems we are living in, and the transition away from fossil fuels should be done in a way that helps people instead of causing extra burden on them. So we are really urging this in an economically just way.”

Wind and solar power continue to get 30 percent federal tax credits and they often need state mandates to nudge power utilities to take on the higher costs. Taranta said it’s better to pay more than face climate change.

“On a wider scale of it being expensive, I find that it’s a tricky argument because climate change is going to be expensive and the damage of climate change is going to be expensive, both infrastructure-wise and also just human health-wise and in terms of the agricultural costs that will come from a warming climate,” he said.

“So it’s really, do you wanna put the expense into creating a better world that works for everyone, or do you wanna pay later and have a disaster?”

Another big renewable push discussed by marchers was home weatherization. Heather Stevenson of 350Vermont told True North about that initiative.

“It’s gonna bring in jobs. It’s gonna save money, because, of every dollar we spend on fossil fuels, 70 cents goes out of state,” she said. “I think we should be spending money on Vermonters.

“When we do weatherization for a home, it saves that homeowner $500 which they are then spending on their  local economy and child care.”

Michael Bielawski is a reporter for True North Reports. Send him news tips at bielawski82@yahoo.com and follow him on Twitter @TrueNorthMikeB.

Image courtesy of Michael Bielawski/TNR

13 thoughts on “Climate activists march 65 miles to Montpelier to push agenda

  1. Were all those homes, churhes etc sheltering these selfless marchers…..
    Have heat and hot water? Lights in the night – no solar power. Candles make smoke.

    Would the ambulance they might need run on fairy dust? Hospital cold and without power. Food they eat NOT fertilized; grown and picked entirely by stoop labor. These questions don’t even touch the anti – everything culture.

    Insanity is taking over 1/4th of Vermont polulation and 80% of our elected legislature.

  2. If only we could do a background check of these protesters to find out where they are really from.

  3. Just think how wonderful these self absorbed snowflakes feel about themselves. They just love to feel smart and morally superior. These people harm working Vermonters and the elderly, while having zero (0) measurable effect on climate change. Most real Vermonters were working Tuesday.

  4. Why are these climate activists not at work?
    Are they on a government payroll?
    Are they students not attending class?
    Are they on welfare, and getting a government check?
    Just about every Vermonter goes to work every day.
    If they take time off to do marching and protesting they likely don’t get paid?

  5. Got a better idea. How about marching 10,000 miles to the real villain in global warming? CHINA!!!!!!!!!!!! Vermont is at best .0000001% responsible.

  6. Let see their main concern was the gas pipeline that’s the only reason we now have a lower
    carbon foot print. These are the same leftist lemmings who determined we shouldn’t have clean
    nuke power and got Vernon closed.
    The lemmings also complain we are on stolen ground??? Why am I paying taxes on it then?
    Another of the bright bulbs complains we have to save winter,
    Did they not notice the unusually cold April they are taking their walkie on.
    And the fools ultimate agenda No more fossil fuel. Meaning we all go back to the 1800’s
    Real progressive I’d say..

  7. Seems like we have an ongoing astro turf problem in this state.

    We need organic, Vermont groups, just say no to astro turf organizers.

    • “ongoing astro turf problem in this state”
      xackly, As John said paid puppets of the leftist Agenda.
      Root Social JustUS = UN
      Sunrise = GND *green $crew deal* mouth pieces
      EnAct = screwball NY skool that teaches how to act screwier then you already are
      Ben&jerries = leftarded lefties that have jumped over the cliff
      360 = Local version of the Gorebullcrap Al the global warming cape crusader.

      Yep their all astro turffers of the insane asylum of climatetardism..

  8. OK, again, The only constant is change. Everything that happens in nature is cyclical. I’m sure they did not notice how long and cold this winter has been. I go with paid puppets.

  9. Climate Activists march 65 miles (?) to Montpelier to push agenda, well they better get
    used of it.

    If there Social Climate Queen ” Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez ” has her way, you’ll be walking
    all the time with no cars, planes or trains but then again you only have twelve years before
    the world explodes…….according to AOC.

    If all you so-called ” Climate Activist” want to save the Planet start with China, Japan, India
    and Russia just to name a few of the real global polluters…..US top contributors are California
    and New York… I’d start there !!

    Vermont’s not a dot on the map.

  10. These were NOT activist…they were paid puppets. Their “Big March to Save the Planet” was nothing more that a financed three ring circus to garner media attention and pull at the heart string of all those delusional “Climate Change” Lemmings. #802VTALLIANCE

    • VT is full of circus people. I believe thy are marching to Montpelier to get their welfare checks. Mindless Snowflakes all! These are the Flat Earth people. You don’t see “The Greatest Generation” in this group who are mostly working to “Struggle and Live in Vermont”.

      This is really quit funny, the Montpelier joke of the week. Did they get Scott to change his mind? like he changed his mind about gun control.

      Wonder who the next group will be.

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