Crystal Palace Transition Town
Contact  us:
  • Home
  • What We Do
    • clt
    • Library Of People
    • SE19 LATES
    • Park Nights !
    • Market of Ideas
    • Community Gardens
    • Food Market
    • More Food and Growing
    • Local and Fair
    • Library Of Things
    • Transport
    • Energy Group
    • The Big Switch
    • Waste >
      • Palace Pick-up
    • Children >
      • Bugs Club
      • Transition Kids
      • Transition Babies
      • Kids at the Market
  • About us
    • Who we are
    • Stuff we've done >
      • "The Power of Just Doing Stuff"
      • Skill Share Day
      • Green Screen
      • Eco-friendly Xmas stall
    • Our constitution
    • Annual Round-ups
    • Our policies >
      • Equal Opportunities
      • Safeguarding Vulnerable Adults
      • Safeguarding Children
      • Health and Safety
      • Privacy And Data Policy
  • Get involved
    • Contact us
    • Volunteer
    • Green Drinks
    • Calendar
  • Transition
    • What is Transition?
    • Peak oil
    • Climate change
    • How to go green
  • Gallery
  • Blog
  • Mailing list

How the climate change march seriously cheered me up

30/3/2015

 
Picture
By Kalina Palka

I wasn't expecting it to be so much fun.

I mean, this is serious. If we can't persuade governments to act decisively to reduce carbon emissions, global warming is going to fry us to a crisp.

That's why I joined the Time to Act on Climate Change march on the 7th of March. 'I'm marching because our precious beautiful planet is all we've got - and it would be such a tragic waste if we trashed it,' I glumly declared on the train up to town.

But already, catching up with my Transition Town pals, the animated chat, the sense of common purpose were starting to cheer me up. One of them had told her mum she was going on the climate change march. "That's nice, dear. Are you for or against it?" her mother had replied. I was starting to feel slightly hilarious.

At Lincoln's Inn Fields my spirits lifted further as I witnessed the gathering of the different groups - and such different people. Young (babes in arms) and old (some with walking frames); barefoot warriors and the Barbour-jacketed; hip young things and hippy old things (like me) - all united by the same ideal.

I sat on a bench and ate a sandwich, companionably discussing TTIP with a lady I'd never met before, while enjoying the spectacle of a semi-naked Legolas-lookalike dancing to a drum.

Back with my group, I found we'd been joined by other Transition Towns - hurrah! And finally we were off, inching our way onto the streets crammed with 20,000 others, proudly holding our banner and leading the Transition Town block.

There were inventive costumes - polar bears, a dragon even - and slogans: "What part of catastrophic and irreversible is it that you don't understand?" "I'll vote UKIP when the renewable energy runs out." And many more.

Climate Change March 2015 - Time to Act from Crystal Palace Transition Town on Vimeo.

A mobile band accompanied us for part of the way. We danced along, chorusing 'NO TO FRACKING' with them. We made up a little ditty of our own: 'NO IFS NO BUTS, WE WANT CARBON CUTS' and jigged along chanting out our message. I felt so happy - so PART of it.

Climate Change March 2015 - Time to Act from Crystal Palace Transition Town on Vimeo.

There was a joyful atmosphere, and even a splinter group who lay down in front of the cars on the other side of the road had a good-natured air about them. I nodded to one of the young men on the ground, acknowledging my respect for the direct action he was taking (but which is not my way). It all passed off peaceably, I understand.

Rather less joyful were the armed police guarding the closed gates of Downing Street, though the row of ordinary bobbies in front of them seemed affable enough.

So on past Westminster then to Parliament Square, where a host of speakers inspired and energised us. Passionate declarations of solidarity from trade unionists; the Lancashire anti-fracking Nanas; a video message from Naomi Klein (urging us to spread the word before the Paris Climate Conference in December), a beaming Caroline Lucas (if only all our MPs were like her) and finally Laurel, a 12-year-old girl who belted out the message to Westminster loud and crystal clear 
But for me the most important message came from the Friends of the Earth speaker. Our main enemy, he said, was not the fossil fuel companies or the governments that fail to regulate them; it is despair and inaction. But there is every reason to hope. We've done it with slavery, the vote for women, apartheid and many other issues. If the Government won't do it, then People Power will. 

I left the march in a happy haze. Sometimes I really do think we can pull this off. And if not, we can have plenty of fun trying.

Joe Duggan
19/3/2015 03:14:40 am

Great blog and record of a great day Kalina ! Here's to more ....

Lucy Hopkins
2/4/2015 02:36:39 am

Lovely account of the day. Left me with the happy haze I felt on the day too. Really enjoyed reading this and letting it transport me back to That wonderful afternoon.


Comments are closed.

    Authors

    All our authors are Transition Town members who are passionate about green issues and getting things done!

    Archives

    October 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    May 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    July 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014

    Categories

    All
    Alys Penfold
    Anna Sayburn
    Annual Celebrations
    Carbon Conversations
    Christmas
    Circular Economy
    Climate Change
    Crystal Palace Food Market
    Crystal Palace Library Of Things
    Crystal Palace Park
    Cycling
    Edible Garden
    Emily Jewell
    Emma Shaw
    Energy Efficiency
    Green Drinks
    Growing
    Joe Duggan
    Kalina Palka
    LJ Stacey
    Local Shopping
    Local Trade
    Lou Yates
    Margaret Adjaye
    Mehul Damani
    Our Story
    Palace Pint
    Palace Trees
    Patchwork Farm
    Press
    Rachel Chance
    Rebecca Trevalyan
    Sophia Wyatt
    St John's Garden
    The Paxton Centre
    Tom Chance
    Transport
    Upper Norwood Library Hub

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.