JulieAloha

April 22, 2017

What an AMAZING day!!! As part of the Environmental Impact Team, aka Clean up Crew, Jessi and I reported for duty at 8:15 at Cal Anderson Park. We met the rest of the team and got our work assignments – we were part of a 6 person team to work the rear of the March. We started by cleaning up the park until the rally began, then listened to the speakers on the main stage and surveyed the crowd.

Despite the rain and wind, people were in great spirits and excited for the event. Lots of great signs, great costumes, individuals groups, families. As the speeches finished up, the event leaders kept us on time and the front of the March headed out just before noon. We waited…and waited… as more and more people continued to stream into the Park – there had been an accident on the freeway which had delayed many people. Finally we made a judgement call and began cleaning the park again, going over the paths, greenspaces and the play field before heading out to join the tail of the March.

Having learned from criticism of previous Marches, one of the goals of the Science March was to make certain there was little negative impact on the grounds and city – participants were extremely conscientious to leave no trace. We had three teams, one at the front of the March, one imbedded in the middle and ours at the end. Our team found very little to pick up, though we amused the bike police escort following us as we hunted the route behind the March pouncing on every scrap of litter we could see and calling out “garbage!” or “recycling!” gleefully with each find. The end of the March reached the Seattle Center Fountain just about 1:30pm, where signs were being collected by UW to archive (I kept mine). We all dispersed from that point – three of our team walked back along the route together, dropping Jessi where she could catch a bus, then Kianna at Westlake to hit the bus tunnel – I walked all the way back to the Park to head home. 15,286 steps today!! I felt very accomplished…and cold and wet and tired…but very, very pleased.

Science March

me

Theory, reason, fact;

We Marched today for Science

The truth is out there