A sullen procession of heavy, grey clouds and a rainy morning forecast did little to dampen the spirits of the fifty-odd students and activists who biked down Market Street Saturday to participate in Moving the Planet, an international day of rallying to raise awareness of global climate change.

Sponsored by 350.org, Planet in Motion was a cooperative of more than 2000 separate demonstrations in 178 countries, ranging from marches to kite flying to bike rallies, such as the one held last Saturday in Wilmington. Brady Bradshaw, the Environmental Concerns Organization (ECO) actions coordinator, said that rather than simply raising awareness about global climate change, he hoped the event would serve to create a common bond among the participants. “We want to show them that we actually get out and do stuff, rather than just sitting around our living rooms complaining,” he said.

Moving out from the clocktower at about 11:30 a.m., attendees wore cardboard signs and streamed flags and banners from their bikes, displaying environmental slogans and appeals to politicians to stop ignoring the issue of climate change.

Passing drivers honked and waved supportingly as the phalanx crept steadily down Randall, Kerr, then Market, from UNCW’s clocktower to the weekly downtown Wilmington farmer’s market on Water Street.  One of the only clear dissenters among the inconvenienced vehicles was a black pickup that gunned its engine as it roared by, letting out a thick plume of blue smoke. Students from UNCW’s ECO as well as Hoggard High School – and even a lone touring bicyclist all the way from Amherst, Massachusetts – erupted in sporadic cheering and chanting, attracting shouts of support and the odd disapproving glare from onlookers in traffic. 

Rounding the corner of Market and Front Streets, ECO President Emma Wicker started up a chant that echoed down Front Street until the group reached their destination a few blocks later:  “What do we want?” “Climate justice!” “When do we want it?” “Now!”  If there were any climate deniers present among the onlookers, their rebuttal was a few decibels more subtle.

Congregating at Riverside Park, several of the officers stepped forward to thank the cyclists – and one skateboarder – who turned out for the event, reiterating the need to continue pushing for clean energy and denouncing the proposed Keystone XL Pipeline, which will stretch 1,700 miles from Alberta to the Gulf of Mexico.  Bradshaw stressed that many communities could be severely damaged by potential leaks in the pipeline. He added that the project will increase the amount of tar sands oil being extracted in Alberta, Canada via a method which produces about two and a half times the amount of greenhouse emissions generated by conventional oil extraction and refining.

As the event drew to a close, Wicker smiled contentedly.  She surveyed the scene proudly, saying “I think this pretty much speaks for itself.  We might have drawn more people out had it not been for the forecast, but we showed that this is a movement that will continue to grow, rain or shine.”

According to Bradshaw, ECO’s next national-level campaign will be its participation in “100% Clean: 100 Actions for Clean Energy,” a nationwide, campus-oriented event to pressure college campuses to aim for 100 percent clean energy use taking place during the week of Oct. 17.  He said to keep an eye out for a major event which will likely be held that Friday.