Recap of the 350.org Brooklyn Bridge Walk

Saturday was a magnificent day. The International Day of Climate Action began in New Zealand at sunrise, and continued to fan out all over the globe. At the end of the day, 350.org reported that over 5200 actions in 181 countries had taken place, and we became the top story on Google News, CNN, and many other news outlets on Saturday night. Here's a re-cap of how I spent the day...

At 11:30am on Saturday, October 24th, a crowd started to gather near the Manhattan entrance to the Brooklyn Bridge. It was relatively mild in temperature, but the rain was on and off and I was afraid that it would turn off people from coming out to march. And then they came...and kept coming, until I lost count. Among those gathered was Robert Swan and others from my first expedition to Antarctica, many friends, and even my mom, who was visiting from Oregon. Somehow, in the midst of the chaos, I found myself next to Robert and being given a banner to hold. Turns out we would be leading the throng of several hundred across the bridge! We started out in some light rain, and after about an hour, reached the other side and continued to the DUMBO park. Robert gave an inspiring speech to the cheering crowd and then we headed off to our next stop...Times Square.

Approaching Times Square, it began to rain again, and as we got close to the center we started to see dozens of blue and white 350 signs dotting the plaza. The celebration began at 3:50pm when music played, people danced, and pictures that had been sent from around the world were were shown on four big screens overhead. At one point I looked up and saw a picture of myself leading the Bridge Walk earlier in the day. Bill McKibbon, the founder of 350.org spoke, then introduced 3 other leaders in the movement, including Robert Swan. Once again Robert inspired the crowd, announcing his upcoming "Return Journey", where he will make another polar walk, this time without the use of any fossil fuels.

It was a magnificent day, filled with hope and enthusiasm, but what struck me as truly remarkable was the way people from all over the world came together to support a common cause. There were no religious or political divides with those involved, only concerned citizens of the world. That should speak pretty loudly to decision makers...it's not often that citizens from warring nations can come together and agree whole-heartedly on something. They did on Saturday.

Check out some pics and video here:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/10/26/350-protests-in-new-york_n_334051.html