Hundreds Rally in San Francisco to Move Beyond Fossil Fuels
As part of the "Moving Planet" global day of action to move beyond fossil fuels, a broad coalition of 50 San Francisco Bay Area sustainability, peace, environmental, social justice, conservation, faith, women's, bicycle, clean tech, and community groups organized a parade down Market Street (S.F.'s "main drag") and rally in front of City Hall. The Sierra Club and 350.org were the lead sponsors of Bay Area Moving Planet.
The parade featured more than 1,000 participants of all ages and backgrounds marching, biking, parading with floats, puppets, and costumes, and chanting "hey hey, ho ho, fossil fuels have got to go!" The rally was the Bay Area's largest climate justice demonstration in years.
A 75-member contingent of the Sierra Club's leaders, Board of Directors, and delegates from all 64 chapters joined the parade at the busy corner of Powell and Market Streets. The Sierra Club contingent marched at the head of the parade in matching t-shirts, led by a huge banner held by Board members Robin Mann, Allison Chin, Donna Buell, and Aaron Mair, below.
Arriving at Civic Center Plaza, the crowd gathered in front of a stage to hear rousing speeches from the top leaders of our movement for climate justice—Sierra Club Executive Director Michael Brune, above, 350.org founder Bill McKibben, and environmental justice pioneer Carl Anthony.
Above, Michael Brune addresses the crowd at Civic Center Plaza. Below, left to right, that's Brune, Puerto Rico Chapter delegate Orlando Negron Rivera, Allison Chin, Bill McKibben, Donna Buell, Aaron Mair, and Robin Mann in front of San Francisco City Hall.
The speeches and one-on-one interviews were captured by the San Francisco Chronicle, KRON 4 TV, and radio stations KPFA and KQED, and more than two dozen Bay Area media outlets covered the story. The rally featured music and entertainers, as well as great photo opps of the environmental leaders in front of the stage with the Sierra Club banner, and an aerial shot taken of the whole crowd.
Photo by David Feng
View more photos here, and read more about Moving Planet on the Sierra Club's Activist Network.
