Over 50 locals turn out for global warming event.
Aerial shot of the Salem/Keizer Oregon area by Tim King Salem-News.com
Greenpeace says awareness needs to grow about Global Warming and other environmental threats facing Oregonians. Aerial shot of the Salem/Keizer Oregon area
(SALEM, Ore.) - On Saturday local Greenpeace staff announced the start of a campaign to work with community members who are concerned about the threat global warming poses to Oregon’s environment and way-of-life by registering volunteers at a community event.
Senior energy analyst Christopher Dymond of Oregon Department of Energy talked about the local benefits of renewable energy and Greenpeace organizer Sofia Gidlund spoke of the goals of the campaign.
Local writer Geronimo Tagatac read a short story by local student Deirdre McAteer about the world overcoming global warming. Over 50 local community members attended the event at Salem Public Library.
“The people of northwestern Oregon understand that global warming cannot be ignored any longer and we are joining together to make sure our candidates for Congress listen to us and develop a good plan for how to tackle this issue,” said Andy Rieder, a local volunteer with Greenpeace.
At the event attendees generated over 50 letters and photos to the congressional candidates and picked up yard-signs to place around Salem. The grassroots effort coincides with the congressional race between Democrat Kurt Schrader and Republican Mike Erickson, which is anticipated to be one of the most hotly contested congressional races in the country.
“The people of Oregon are rising to the challenge presented by global warming—they are driving less, changing their light bulbs, and buying more efficient appliances,” said Greenpeace organizer Sofia Gidlund.
“The question we’ll be asking the candidates for Congress from now until the election is: ‘What will you do if you get to Washington?’”
Greenpeace is calling on Congress to end global warming by:
- Increasing our energy efficiency;
- Putting a limit on global warming pollution;
- Investing in clean, renewable energy like wind and solar instead of coal and nuclear
Source: Greenpeace
