Reflections on Earth Day and the Tipping Point

By Penny Krebiehl

Early in February, a Permaculture friend of mine in CA sent me the initial draft of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report on Global Warming.  I don't know how he got it, but it was the real thing and I downloaded it, read it, all of it, full of charts, graphs, facts....

 

A few months later...I'm immersed in the Earth Day parade building.  This years' theme is "Global Warming: The Tipping Point".

 

One of the parade musicians comes in with the news of the IPCC report being all over the news.  He says that after the usual BS of "How are we going to present this to the people" for debate, it is reported that the US was leading the pack of those "rephrasing and toning down the dire projections" and just prior to our seasonal, one-day recognition of the Earth, with our annual parade, it finally hits the media here. 

Having an Earth Day parade on the streets of Traverse City, might seem like a lighthearted effort to truly take responsibility for and do something about global warming, but I would like you to know that one of the five areas or effects of global warming that we are broaching is the will of the people: Our complacency and unfortunate ignorance in the scheme of things. The "Center" section of our storytelling parade will represent this "fact" and effect of global warming, with a group of Radical Elemental Chickens. Farm animals will have a starring role in this year's parade.

Our presentation will be both serious, and entertaining, but I'll be honest, even though we invite and envision hundreds of people to both participate and spectate as we wind through the Downtown area on our parade route, we are not interested in appeasing the masses in the sense of increasing business----or spring tourism. But this parade certainly won't hurt the Downtown area and it's businesses, that is for sure. As much as we love our beautiful hometown, the Earth Day Parade, unlike the Cherry Festival, it is not about our pocketbooks or our financial futures. It has more to do with our survival on a greater scope. No joking there.

We are looking for participation and support to continue the very, difficult and complicated task of community building and civic pride, during tough and frightening times. We are bringing arts education and environmental education together with children, teens and their families, people of all economic and intergenerational habitats, at a time when funding for those programs continues to be cut. Can we possible cut them any further?

The ethics that motivate us are: Caring for the Earth, Caring for the People and giving something back. It is the flip side of MORE in the consumerist sense. It is absolutely MORE human intelligence, creative environmental education and of the practice of human compassion for all species. Stepping up and doing the right thing. On Earth, our home. MORE, more, more of that.

We want to be on the streets as the people of this community, standing behind the City Commission's righteous decision to adopt our version of the Kyoto Agreement and disseminate both information and support to those that want to do something about it. To truly take action. Additionally, we want the Police escort to PLEASE respect our rule of NO CARS being driven in the parade, and would so appreciate other motorized drivers to embrace that request too. Just for one day? One day--- on foot, or bike.

Our 2007 Parade Design Team, being comprised of thirty, curious and energetic students from TCAPS Montesssori, along with Little Artshram, Rhythmic Adventures, the TC Sierra Club, and many volunteers invites YOU to get involved and join us for the annual Spring Earth Day events in Traverse City....

 

Penny Krebiehl is the Director of Little Artshram, which fosters alternative education through a unique combination of permaculture principles, visual, musical and puppet artistry, and service to the natural world and inclusive social activism. For more information visit: www.littleartshram.org

Editors Note: EARTH DAY PUBLIC WORKSHOPS: Help build the puppets for the parade! Workshops are low-cost to free and open to the public. For a month of weekends, beginning March 24th through Earth Day, April 21st, the Art Center of Traverse City will be transformed into a giant studio where Little Artshram and Rhythmic Adventures and volunteers create the Earth Day Parade. Workshop times: Fridays 5-9 PM, Sat. 12-5 PM, Sun. 12-5 PM.