Aerial image of the Climate Ribbon pathway at the People’s Climate March, taken by a camera on a kite.
Hi! I’m Andy Wanning, newest core member of the Climate Ribbon team. On Saturday, April 29, I traveled with other Climate Ribbon folks to Washington DC for the People’s Climate March – and it was a bigger success than we could’ve imagined! We constructed a beautiful arched pathway of ribbons beside the cherry tree grove on the Mall, facing the stage where the post-march rally would be held, and waited for marchers to arrive.
As marchers arrived, they were drawn to the colorful ribbons fluttering in the breeze; thousands gathered to reckon with the biggest existential threat that humanity has ever faced, and share their stories of love and loss. Marchers tied their ribbons onto the “tunnel of ribbons,” and when they saw a ribbon that particularly moved them, they untied it and took it with them, becoming the guardian of another person’s story and fueling their own commitment to use their precious time on Earth to fight against the forces causing climate change.
A 7-year old girl from South Dakota wrote, simply, “Our river.” A middle-aged man from Maine wrote, “Confidence in the cycle of seasons.” Three women from Naples, FL held up a ribbon that had moved them, declaring, “We’re taking this one home and it will be the start of the climate ribbon at our church.”
Later in the day, an MSNBC film crew showed up and shot a live segment with project co-creator Andrew Boyd. An hour later, a super-enthusiastic college student showed up to volunteer, saying “I just saw your ribbon project on TV and had to come help!”
The Climate Ribbon was founded at the first People’s Climate March in September 2014; we are deeply grateful to have had the opportunity to display it again at this follow-up March. We give a huge thanks to our volunteers — Cindi, Nadine, Jonah, and especially Mark; we could not have done this without you.
Please check out the great photos below!
By the way, you can create a Climate Ribbon - small or big - in your community by downloading our NEW 1-page DIY Guide. And if you are enthusiastic about the potential for this project to affect changes in people’s consciousness, please donate to keep it going and showing up in movement moments. Feel free to email us anytime with your questions or to share your story at climateribbon@gmail.com. Here’s to connecting with each other and keeping up the fight!
A woman ties her ribbon onto the Climate Ribbon.
Families and children interacted with the Climate Ribbon all day.
Marchers shared their own stories at our ribbon-making table.
Marchers shared their own stories at our ribbon-making table.
Ribbons fluttering in the wind, stories traveling the globe. Photo from the official People’s Climate March album