Thinking Green

Author: Philip Aroneanu

Over 150 students and other individuals walked into Montpelier High School muddy and dripping last Saturday afternoon. Their hands were cold, their bike shorts soaked, and they were hungry. Despite the lack of warm showers and a cozy woodstove to sit by, they joined an auditorium full of Vermont activists and citizens who had come together to support clean energy in the state. Though the rain may have moistened shirts and socks, it did not dampen the spirit and dedication of those who attended the rally.

The second-annual "Fossil Fools' Day" bike ride and rally attracted students from Middlebury College, St. Mikes, the University of Vermont and other institutions, along with a number of passionate Vermonters, all of whom pedaled on their own the 40 miles from Burlington to Montpelier. On Route 2, vans stopped along the way with snacks and water for the participants, and a sweaty, cheering crowd was on hand to welcome riders as they pulled into the high school parking lot in packs.

As a symbol of the coming energy revolution, many riders taped pinwheels onto their bikes, wore capes and held signs. Along the way, onlookers ogled from their cars and families sitting on their front porches cheered the riders on. Democrat Scudder Parker, now running for governor, was the first to speak at the rally. Scudder said that Vermont is known as a leader in the area of renewable energy sources but maintained that there is much that still needs to be accomplished on the state level if we are to avoid the worst effects of global warming. Partisanship, polarization and political log jamming have made getting clean energy legislation passed in Vermont difficult.

One state legislator who spoke at the rally expressed frustration with colleagues, encouraging concerned citizens to take action and to convince local politicians to take on what often seems like too large an issue. Congressman Bernie Sanders, the Vermont independent running to replace retiring Senator Jim Jeffords, commended the event's organizers and impassioned students in his trademark punchy style.

"Students know that to make the climate movement successful, we need to be creative," said event organizer Chester Harvey '09. "The bike ride was successful because it garnered a lot of attention and sent a strong message to politicians and the public. Climate change is a real and urgent issue that needs to be dealt with. And it was fun." Indeed, the persistence of students and others in the face of a rainstorm, wind and forty miles of rolling hills parallels the energy and dedication they have for the issue of climate change. They know the time to act is now.