On Earth Day a global
March for Science was organized and our main local march in Colorado was just down the street from our campus in Denver, so we met around 9:00 for coffee and bagels, then marched from the Science building to Civic Center Park. We had professors, our EAS advisor Karen, students, alumni, and friends joining us in the march. The march was one of the most positive and uplifting events I've ever attended. Yes, us scientists are commonly introverted and not huge fans of crowds so we weren't your usual activist chanters. Yes it was raining and in some cases snowing that morning. Yes, we all are busy people and have things to do like piles of grading and revisions waiting for us back home, but thousands of science allies still came out to join the march. It was truly impressive. The police estimate that 13,000-15,000 marched with a total of about 20,000 attending at some point during the day. We arrived at the park around 9:55 and enjoyed many of the signs before the march started off to our right. We hopped in the long line and marched around downtown Denver in the wide streets that were graciously barricaded off for our safety. Thanks for the Denver police and the volunteers for keeping us safe!
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| This little guy's family all had made Lorax shirts and a little truffula tree that matched mine. He was a great sport and let me take his picture in front of the capitol, my favorite picture. |
I had made a truffula tree from "The Lorax" that read, "I speak for the trees." It was a big hit and I probably smiled for 50 photos and had a bunch of kids photographed with it as well. I ran into many other Lorax fans throughout the morning as well. The speakers began at some point, including Mike Nelson and our governor, but I was too busy handing out stickers to every future-meteorologist I could find. We went through 200 stickers. I'd like to think that my truffula tree was my in to get people to smile at me.
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| Our advertising stickers |
If you are sad you missed out, you can join next
Saturday April 29th for the climate march.
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| Me! Hard to believe it was in the low 40s and raining just a few hours earlier. |
Here are my photos from the day, and near the end a few photos that were posted on the March for Science Denver page that aren't mine.
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| We started at the Science building and marched to Civic Center Park. The sun came out around 9:30 just in time! |
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| Karen, Karmen, Dr. Wagner, and Charlie right before we started marching |
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| I found my first fellow Lorax lover! |
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| Loved this sign! |
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| I'm on the left, but I loved this gal's little Lorax. Great minds! |
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| A common meme, but as a meteorologist I still laugh every time. |
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| T-rex showed up. Dinosaurs for climate science! |
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| Dr. Wagner and I found alumni Dalton and Noah, both of whom are leaving for graduate school in the fall. So proud! |
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| Dr. Wagner and student in the WASSUP club, Jamie. |
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| Dr. Wagner uses the pump to create a cloud with Erin, who was volunteering at the Denver Boulder American Meteorological Society booth. Erin is president of our school chapter. |
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| I don't think I took this picture, but loved this lady's sign. Thanks for volunteering! |
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| I found this picture of me in someone else's feed. Thanks! |
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| This was the crowd right before the march started. |
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| Marching in downtown Denver for science. |
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| Gandalf knows what's up. |
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| More Lorax lovers! Great job, guys! |
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| Making a cloud at the DBAMS booth. |
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| The littlest Lorax had lost half a mustache and an eye during the day but was still going strong 4 hours in! |
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| Dr. Bob Hancock's wife's band played near the end of the march in the band shell. He's the bio professor down the hall from us. |
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| Cloud in a bottle. |
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| Make your own tornado. |
The following are not my photos, but were posted on the
Facebook page for the march. They give a great sense of the crowd that my photos failed to give.
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| This isn't my photo. Sorry I didn't keep track of where I got it either. |
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| This isn't my photo. Sorry I didn't keep track of where I got it either. |
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| This isn't my photo, photo by Jamie Hurt. |
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| This isn't my photo, and I can't remember where I got it. Sorry! |
