Food & Water Watch: We marched with 10,000 yesterday in Philly!

Beyond Nuclear was part of the Carbon-Free, Nuclear-Free contingent -- spearheaded by Nuclear Information and Resource Service, and joined by representatives of allied groups from across the country -- in yesterday's March for a Clean Energy Future, held in Philadelphia, PA on the eve of the Democratic National Convention. Below is a message from Wenonah Hauter of Food and Water Watch, the lead national organizer of the March (note the yellow flags in the New York Times front page photo, videos from the March, etc. They are "Nuclear Power? No Thanks!" flags, part of the Carbon-Free, Nuclear-Free contingent):

Yesterday, we held the largest anti-fracking march in U.S. history. More than 10,000 of us marched in the streets of Philadelphia for a Clean Energy Revolution! We were calling on our political leaders to act quickly to ban fracking now, keep fossil fuels in the ground, stop dirty energy, transition to 100% renewable energy and ensure environmental justice for all. 

 Thank you to all those who came to Philly in sweltering heat, supported the march by recruiting supporters, donated so that everyone could have a seat on a bus, or shared on social media to amplify the message. This wouldn't have happened without you.

I am so proud of Food & Water Watch’s leadership role, along with our partners in Americans Against Fracking and Pennsylvanians Against Fracking, in making the Clean Energy Revolution March possible, and I'm very appreciative of our coalition partners who have worked with us to build a strong, diverse and broad-based movement. We are changing the public discourse on fracking; we are creating the political space for real change and we are building the political power to make it happen.

There are so many inspiring stories to share from the March for a Clean Energy Revolution that we'll be sharing them in the coming weeks, but here are some photos to give you a sense of the power of our collective action yesterday (and you can see more photos here).

As the first national organization in America to call for a ban on fracking, Food & Water Watch has seen the movement expand dramatically — for the first time fracking is a major issue in the debates over the Democratic nomination for the presidency. Today, more Americans are opposed to fracking than support it, and our elected leaders must listen to the people.

More than 900 environmental, indigenous, health, justice, labor, political, faith and student organizations from all 50 states endorsed the March for a Clean Energy Revolution and called for the need to keep fossil fuels in the ground and focus on renewable energy options that will create jobs, not destroy lives. You can check out some of the fantastic media coverage of the event: The New York Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer, MSNBC, and Reuters.

Thank you to everyone who helped make this action possible. Together, we are sending a clear message to our elected officials: we demand a future powered by clean, renewable energy, not one that depends on dirty, polluting fossil fuels.

Together, we are sending a clear message to our elected officials: we demand a future powered by clean, renewable energy, not one that depends on dirty, polluting fossil fuels.

We look forward to continuing to work together as we fight for the future of our planet and the people on it.

Onward together,

Wenonah Hauter
Executive Director
Food & Water Watch
wenonah(at)fwwatch(dot)org