A group of dedicated volunteers and presenters made the StepItUp rally a success. Photo courtesy of Victoria Brandon.

The success of the Sierra Club Lake Group's April 14 Global Warming rally at Clearlake's Austin Park despite distinctly uninviting weather was due primarily to the many individuals in our community who refused to let rain, wind, and cold keep them from demonstrating their concern for the fate of our planet.

Thanks to you, we were able to add the voices of Lake County to the nationwide chorus emanating from more than 1,400 events in the Step It Up campaign's National Day of Climate Action. Together, we sent a powerful message to our elected leaders: we need to fend off the threat of catastrophic climate change, and in order to do so we must all work together to cut global warming emissions enough to culminate in an 80 percent reduction by the year 2050.

The Lake Group is particularly grateful to Supervisor Ed Robey for his deft services as master of ceremonies; to Mayor Judy Thein for her warm welcome on behalf of the City of Clearlake; to Lake County Special Districts head Mark Dellinger for his account of the county's remarkable ongoing efforts to trim its own carbon footprint; to Barbara Christwitz for her persuasive discussion of the virtues of solar ovens and the ease of constructing them; and especially to Supervisor Denise Rushing, whose inspiring presentation, "Global Warming and You: what individuals can do to make a difference," was the keynote of the event.

Peter Senkowski's electric vehicle, Eileen Irving's information about Lake Transit, and Glenneth Lambert's green building display all engaged the interest of participants. Janis Paris and Paul Frindt provided a truckload of sound gear and the professional expertise needed to make it function, and with the assistance of bass player David Gilmore also treated us to several rousing sets of songs that were as musicially adept as they were spiritually invigorating. Thank you!

Thanks also to Hiram Dukes, who videotaped the event, and to Denise Rushing, Shirley Howland, and Juliana Vidich for their quick response to an emergency appeal for equipment that could provide a refuge from the elements. The hasty construction of several shade shelters and a substantial tent in the rain and wind was something of a challenge, but due to the efforts of Jack Arnold, Ryan Callen, Fred Cork, Lars Crail, Denise Rushing and Juliana Vidich we made it in time to offer a dry venue to grateful tablers. Bill and Barbara Christwitz, Paul Kolb, Jack Arnold, and Juliana Vidich then took everything apart again two hours later.

Many thanks to all of you: your dedication, your commitment, and your hard work are precisely what this planet needs, and this community too.

Victoria Brandon
Chair, Sierra Club Lake Group

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Written by: Lake County News Reports

Published: 17 April 2007