A year of climate strikes
Me and Busta have been climate striking with friends for a year. It started July, 2024. Well, it started in November, 2023, with actual banner dropping beginning last July.
In 2023, 350.org was organizing actions across the globe. One in St Louis targeted automobile accessed shopping areas, as I recall. Then, local organizers changed plans to march with Veterans for Peace in the St Louis Veterans Day Parade. 350STL invited me along with others. Not being a veteran, I was hesitant.
OTOH, kind and conscientious members of Centre County, PA Veterans for Peace during the Boots on the Ground demonstrations and other protests over Iraq, Afghanistan and US militarism gave me hope for potential favorable relations in St Louis.
Busta and I were honored to walk in the 2023 St Louis Veterans Day Parade with our new friends in Veterans for Peace Chapter 61 (VFPC61). I had Busta on a lease, pushed a cart with a solar panel and battery, and held a borrowed VFP flag. Among the new friends, chapter president Woody Powell served in Korea with a K9 partner. He and Busta get along very nicely.
350STL kept organizing. Among the outstanding contributions of member Rita was keeping up with email exchanges about climate striking. She also joined our first climate strike, and sent out email updates on our strikes in protest calendars.
I saw global power up events on 350.org, and decided to participate on a Friday afternoon at Shaw Park in Clayton, Missouri, seat of St Louis County government and feasible for us on pedals and paws, including a short stretch of publicly run Great Rivers Greenways. One challenge was that, other than a Cori Bush campaign sign, I had no signs or banners, and little time to utilize my limited artistic abilities. Whiteboard, cardboard and styrofoam worked to get started.
I supported Cori Bush’s campaign, and chose on my own to display her sign on our trailer where ever it rolled. The VFP reference was a barely readable, TLDR, yet important, VFP climate crisis link written on cardboard. I also included a prop solar panel, and a rainbow flag that was always on the trailer for a year or more. Every week we played one of the green music shows from ecoshock.org
Woody and Joan Powell participate in VFP climate crisis work. One of our chapter members mentioned a banner saying, “US MILITARISM FUELS CLIMATE CRISIS”. We got it by the next week for a possible few more Fridays.
By the third week, I started writing on both sides of the white board and displaying on both sides for car and foot traffic.
By the end of August, kind members of 350 donated a couple of posters printed on paper that we posted whenever it wasn’t raining.
In November, we learned about Fridays for Future and started including their links. By winter, we added the Veterans for Peace Flag designed by Joan Powell.
We didn’t set out to strike for a year, but within a month or two, I started talking about possibly striking on Fridays for a year, knowing it wouldn’t be climate strikes without going out in any weather that we could.
Our VPC61 Communications Director, who was voluntarily administering our chapter social media presence, graciously posted our mid-August climate strike on Instagram. VFPC61 commitment to our climate strikes remained strong all year, with our weekly updates posted on VFPC61 Instagram.
Busta could have stopped us by declining to go. He is a thin furred, dark chocolate lab mix who gets cold and hot. Still, he has always been ready, regardless of rain, sun, heat, cold, or traffic. It is up to me to bring enough water and prepare the trailer well for the weather.
Mid-90’s temperatures and drought persisted through September. Tropical storm remnants broke our drought in late September. There were mid-20’s and record snow in January. Foot and cycling travel on poorly maintained sidewalks and trails was treacherous for a month. With spring came welcomed rains, along with turbulence, including multiple days of tornadoes. We were blown over many times, but the bicycle never broke, and we kept going.
Thanks to all who stopped and talked with us, along with all of the honkers and wavers passing by. Thanks especially to those who joined the strikes over the year. A number of friends and supporters have stood with us. Woody and Joan have been there, as have our VFPC61 comrades Charlie and Mary. New friend Kathy joined us on multiple occasions, along with Debra, who also brought a dog and treats. Sorry, but I forget other names of those who stopped by.
It is an honor to stand with St Louis comrades in Chapter 61 of Veterans for Peace, and 350STL members of 350.org, as well as, all of our friends in St Louis informing and exhorting urgent action for a livable climate and global civilization of equitable risks and rewards.
Over the last 51 Fridays, Busta and I have struck 48 times for climate with St Louis friends and comrades. Our three no shows have been due to a weekend ride on the Katy Trail, my colonoscopy, and Busta’s cancer excision. Week 52 is July 11, 2025. We plan to finish this year of climate strikes, health and weather permitting.
Join us, if you will, at Shaw Park in Clayton, Missouri, 3-5 pm, July 11 for our last week in this year of climate striking. Keep organizing and showing up for demonstrations, protests and strikes around the country and world. Support organizers, and consider starting your own strike where necessary. We have many needs now.
Here are our whiteboard messages. We typically write 350.org and 350STL on half of our whiteboard space. The other half has had the following various messages over the year.
2024/07/19
Economies win with renewables
2024/07/16
Economies win with renewables
Go renewables
2024/08/02
Win with renewables
Go renewables
2024/08/09 missed for Katy Trail weekend
2024/08/016
Make renewable pricing fair
Go renewables? (did not photo that second side)
2024/08/23
Equal net metering
Community renewable
2024/08/30, 2024/09/06
Equal net metering
Co-op power on common ground
2024/09/13
No fracking!
Veterans for Peace .org? (did not photo second side)
2024/09/20 colonoscopy
2024/09/27
350.org for a livable climate
Veterans for Peace .org
2024/10/04
There is salvation in power from above
Veterans for Peace .org
2024/10/011, 2024/10/18
Bikes 4 education
VFP160.org/bikes
Beyond fossil fuel
Veterans for Peace .org
2024/10/25, 2024/11/10, 2024/11/08
Plan to adapt
Veterans for Peace .org
2024/11/15, 2024/11/22, 2024/11/28
Fridays for future .org
Veterans for Peace .org
2024/12/06
Dec 7 Ecosocialism-conference.org
Veterans for Peace .org
2024/12/13
No big oil
Plastic pact
Veterans for Peace .org
2024/12/13
Slow Antarctic tipping while we can
Veterans for Peace .org
2024/12/20
Season greeting?
Veterans for Peace .org
2024/12/27
Slow Antarctic tipping while we can
Veterans for Peace .org
2025/01/03
Keep the Gulf Stream flowing
Climate criminals .org
2025/01/10 cancer excision for Busta
2025/01/17, 2025/01/24
Transit for all
Not just cars
2025/01/31, 2025/02/07
Stop the burn
No coal
Coal exit .org
2025/02/14
No fossil fuels
No militarism
For you heart, brain and body
Save your heart, brain and body
Quit fossil fuels and miltarism
2025/02/21
No fossil fuels
No militarism
Less climate chaos
Save your heart, brain and body
Quit fossil fuels and miltarism
2025/02/28
Burn more for higher temps and more extremes
Plan for higher temps with more extremes
2025/03/07
The king is cooking us
2025/03/14
Save the VA
(did not photo that second side)
2025/03/21
Save our Climate
For a livable climate
2025/03/28
Monoculture is a lie
Long live DEI
(did not photo that second side)
2025/04/04
Jet stream stuck?
Quit fossil fuels
Quit fossil fuels for fewer stationary fronts
2025/04/11
Common sense says climate matters
Climate matters
It’s common sense
2025/04/18
Clean air for billionaires
(did not photo that second side)
2025/04/25
Save public science and data
Open public science for all
2025/05/02
Remember the climate that was
Not energy domination, but moderation
No denying science, culture, faith
2025/05/09
Losing Everglades for fossil fuels
Burn fossil fuels dry Rio Grande
2025/05/16
Good climate worth the work
Renew livable climate
2025/05/23
Clean up on Planet Earth
Plan for Turbulence
Clean up on Planet Earth
No exit
2025/05/30
Earth over militarism
Might won’t fix climate
2025/06/06
Climate change here, now, still manageable
Who will fix it? Us or our kids
2025/06/13
Currents are changing on land and sea
Save glaciers and forests
2025/06/20
We need a livable climate
Equity and justice for kids and climate
2025/06/27
Like food? Keep Earth Cool
Keep Earth cool for food
2025/06/27
Stop compounding extremes
Quit fossil fuels
Climate disaster is real