The Chelsea Standard
A Heritage Newspaper
Weekly Publication
Group hikes for the environment
PUBLISHED: May 3, 2007
April 15 was a windy day, but that didn't matter to the energetic group of people who came out to the Waterloo Recreation Area to hike the bog trail. The group had come out for more than a pleasant walk on a partly-sunny spring day - they were part of a movement called "Step It Up."
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"Step It Up" was the brain-child of environmental author Bill McKibben, who has written numerous books, most notably "The End of Nature," published in 1989, and often cited as a classic work on the environmental crisis. What McKibben, and the thousands of people who came out over the weekend to support the more than 1,400 actions that took place in all 50 states, wanted was for Congress to begin addressing climate change immediately.
"What we're calling for is very doable," said Cathy Muha, organizer of Sunday's hike. "We want Congress to pledge to cut carbon emissions by 80 percent by 2050. This requires a two percent reduction per year, which can be done by educating us all - individuals and businesses - to conserve; and by finding new sources of clean energy. We have the technical ability to accomplish this, we just need the political will. Our politicians need to hear that we are serious about it.
"Michigan imports most of its energy resources from other states, even though we are the 14th windiest state in the country. If Michigan utilized its potential and created many wind turbine farms, we could reduce our dependence on others, create many new jobs, and have a cleaner environment."
Carol Strahler, who teaches science at Beach Middle School in Chelsea, led the hike. Even though blossoms were slowed this year due to the steep fluctuations in temperature this Spring, she still found many interesting things to point out. She showed the group how to identify different types of trees and which bushes were invasive. Strahler pointed out the flower of the skunk cabbage, which is not often seen as it is at the base of the plant.
One of the attendees had considered going to the Ann Arbor event but said, "Why would I go into the city for an event calling attention to how precious our natural environment is? What better place for this kind of thing than the incredible Waterloo Recreation Area?"
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