the forest through the trees

Last week I mentioned meeting someone from Oxfam at GreenDrinks NYC who was here to help promote action on climate change. During the event he gave his “2 minute pitch” for an event in Central Park that would kick off the global movement all calling for an fair, ambitious, and binding climate change agreement. The idea was to create a human sculpture in the form of Earth sitting in the top of an hourglass, then pour down to form the campaign’s name Tck Tck Tck. Since I was free for the day I decided to head over to check it out.

Showing up around 1pm, I was expecting to simply help form the hourglass. When I saw someone handing out the green t-shirts and hats to help out with the dance routine, I eagerly accepted. I soon found my way into Group #3 which would form the African continent. After a quick google map check I figured out that my new friend Cara and I were representing Namibia.

It couldn’t have been a nicer day in Central Park, and although the sculpture took several hours to practice and film, everyone was in wonderful spirits. What struck me most about the day was the diversity in the crowd. I was expecting to join a bunch of college age bearded environmentalists. There were a few, but in total the crowd more closely resembled a cross-section of NYC itself than  a Greenpeace rally – young and old, of all ethnicity – all together to take part in this momentous occasion. I myself am not much of an activist. Perhaps disenchanted by the politics of the past 8 years, I spent my time studying and working to prepare for action. But the time is now. It’s time to act!

– Kevin Banahan