Moving Planet Seattle

On Saturday, September 24th, Washingtonians gathered around Lake Union for a day of education, action and fun at Moving Planet Seattle.

In solidarity with over 2,000 events in 175 countries for 350.org's annual day of action on climate change,  Earth Ministry, Climate Solutions, the Sierra Club, 350 Washington, Washington Environmental Council, Transportation For Washington and many other community organizations came together to host Moving Planet Seattle.  In the theme of moving beyond fossil fuels, the day focused on the need to end our reliance on coal and oil and to take action on urgent issues facing Washington state and the Northwest, including halting coal exports and supporting a wider array of transportation choices.

Earth Ministry table.  Photo by Paul Anderson

Moving Planet Seattle kicked off with almost a hundred people taking action in workshops on coal and oil and continued into the afternoon with over a thousand people converging on Lake Union Park via bus, bike, on foot, on skate boards, roller skates, paddle-boards, sail boats, canoes, electric vehicles and more!  At the park, attendees attempted stand-up paddleboard yoga, rode a conference bike, registered for Undriving licenses, and learned how they could be involved at the many information tables.

LeeAnne at the rally.

Earth Ministry's very own LeeAnne Beres emceed the rally.  Each of the featured speakers spoke proudly of Washingtonians working to move our state beyond fossil fuels - including Mayor of Seattle Mike McGinn who rode his bike to the event and spoke out against coal export terminals. Washingtonians have also worked hard to end our state's reliance on coal, protecting our communities' health and God's creation.

The day ended at Plymouth United Church of Christ.  The young adult recipients of the David Brower Youth Award spoke about the environmental justice issues in their home communities.  The event also marked the launch of the new national United Church of Christ Environmental Justice Center in the Seattle area.

The iconic 350 photo.  Photo by Paul Anderson

Earth Ministry thanks the many organizations who made Moving Planet Seattle possible.  We  are blessed to have such wonderful partners!

Moving Planet Seattle Hosts:

• 350 Washington State
• Climate Solutions 
• Earth Ministry 
• Pacific Northwest Conference, UCC
• Sierra Club
• Transportation for Washington
• Washington Environmental Council

Gold Sponsors:

• Seattle Office of Sustainability & Environment
• Seattle Parks & Recreation
• Seattle Department of Transportation

Silver Sponsors:

• Bishop's Committee for the Environment, Episcopal Diocese of Olympia
• Home Performance Collaborative
• Plymouth United Church of Christ
• UnDriving
• ZipCar

Bronze Sponsors:

• BikeWorks
• Cascade Bicycle Club 
• Center for Wooden Boats
• Seattle Dutch Bike Company
• Sellen
• Surf Ballard/WASUP Yoga
• Urban Surf

Community Sponsors:

•  aLIVe, CoolMom, Family Bike Expo, FeetFirst, FUSE, Maryhill Ratz, Natural Resources Defense Council, National Wildlife Federation, NW E-Bike, NW EcoBuilding Guild, Salish Sea Trading, SCALLOPS , Skate Like a Girl, Spokespeople, Transit Riders Union, YES! Magazine, Yoga for Bikers, and many more!