A Pilgrimage for Hope: From the Beltway to the Backcountry
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Two Utahns Walk 350 Miles to Urge Leaders to Address Climate Change and Protect Wild Places One Step at a Time.
Contact: Jamie Pleune
801-707-4471
pleunej@gmail.com
Ryan Pleune
801-633-3474
ryanpleune@hotmail.com
For Immediate Release:
Two Utahns Urge Leaders to Address Climate Change and Protect Wild Places with 350 Mile Walk
This fall, after two years in Washington D.C., a lawyer and a teacher decided to head to the wilderness to advocate for climate change. They are moving back to their home state of Utah, a place that most conservation minded individuals consider a political wilderness. Blending the traditions of pilgrimages and political marches, they have decided to walk 350 miles through wilderness areas in Utah to raise awareness for climate change and to demonstrate that not all Utahns agree with their political leaders that we should ignore the reality of climate change. “When I think about climate change, I feel hopeless, Jamie Pleune explains, “As an environmental lawyer, I spend a lot of time reading about environmental problems—species extinctions, threats to drinking water supplies, and climate change predictions. This walk is an effort to reclaim hope by physically taking a long journey one step at a time and trying to bring the lessons of the backcountry into the politics of the beltway.”
At the end of every mile, the Pleunes will take a picture. Each picture will become a postcard to Washington. The Pleunes plan to solicit at least 350 additional postcards from other concerned citizens around Utah through mini-work parties and events organized in Fort Duchesne, Moab, and Salt Lake City. The collective message they hope to send to Washington is that the journey away from a carbon economy begins, as the old saying goes, with a single step.
You can read more about the 350 Miles: 350 Postcards project and follow the Pleune’s blog at www.thewildernessproject.com.
801-707-4471
pleunej@gmail.com
Ryan Pleune
801-633-3474
ryanpleune@hotmail.com
For Immediate Release:
Two Utahns Urge Leaders to Address Climate Change and Protect Wild Places with 350 Mile Walk
This fall, after two years in Washington D.C., a lawyer and a teacher decided to head to the wilderness to advocate for climate change. They are moving back to their home state of Utah, a place that most conservation minded individuals consider a political wilderness. Blending the traditions of pilgrimages and political marches, they have decided to walk 350 miles through wilderness areas in Utah to raise awareness for climate change and to demonstrate that not all Utahns agree with their political leaders that we should ignore the reality of climate change. “When I think about climate change, I feel hopeless, Jamie Pleune explains, “As an environmental lawyer, I spend a lot of time reading about environmental problems—species extinctions, threats to drinking water supplies, and climate change predictions. This walk is an effort to reclaim hope by physically taking a long journey one step at a time and trying to bring the lessons of the backcountry into the politics of the beltway.”
At the end of every mile, the Pleunes will take a picture. Each picture will become a postcard to Washington. The Pleunes plan to solicit at least 350 additional postcards from other concerned citizens around Utah through mini-work parties and events organized in Fort Duchesne, Moab, and Salt Lake City. The collective message they hope to send to Washington is that the journey away from a carbon economy begins, as the old saying goes, with a single step.
You can read more about the 350 Miles: 350 Postcards project and follow the Pleune’s blog at www.thewildernessproject.com.
Walking in A Parade of Horribles in Moab on Halloween
Contact: Sara Melnicoff
moab_solutions@hotmail.com
435-259-0910
Erin Olschewski
erin.oh.baby@gmail.com
435-250-2285
For Immediate Release:
Local Environmentalists Organizing a Halloween Parade of Horribles
(Moab, Utah) What do climate change and trash have in common with Halloween? According to Sara Melnicoff, a local activist in Moab, the connection is obvious. “A landfill is one of the scariest and saddest places around. It is filled with our discarded excess consumption and it leaks methane, a greenhouse gas that is four times more powerful at trapping heat than carbon dioxide.” Sara is the driving force behind a local group, Solutions of Moab, that promotes the lifestyle philosophy of "Respect, Rethink, Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle" through a variety of hands on projects that anyone can join, like picking up trash along streams, trails, and roads. She is even willing to work with the Devils—the Grand County Devils, that is, to turn Grand County High School into a “no waste” school. Sara does not work alone. Erin Olschewski, the tireless president of the Earth Club at the high school, helps her coordinate both the recycling program and awareness events at the school. Erin believes that “it's time for us to realize how everything is connected.” She stays motivated to volunteer time from her busy schedule because “by taking the time to show you care, you are inspiring others.”
This Halloween, Sara and Erin plan to challenge the stereotype that respecting the earth is all puritan guilt. Drawing on the long tradition of Halloween as a day for costumes and masks to drive out evil spirits, they are kicking of Halloween by asking people to join them on a walk through Moab dressed as the evil threats to our earth—a literal and figurative parade of horribles.
So, pull out your greatest representation of an eco-threat and join the Grand County Earth Club’s parade of horribles. They will meet at Swanny Park at 4:00 PM on October 31.
moab_solutions@hotmail.com
435-259-0910
Erin Olschewski
erin.oh.baby@gmail.com
435-250-2285
For Immediate Release:
Local Environmentalists Organizing a Halloween Parade of Horribles
(Moab, Utah) What do climate change and trash have in common with Halloween? According to Sara Melnicoff, a local activist in Moab, the connection is obvious. “A landfill is one of the scariest and saddest places around. It is filled with our discarded excess consumption and it leaks methane, a greenhouse gas that is four times more powerful at trapping heat than carbon dioxide.” Sara is the driving force behind a local group, Solutions of Moab, that promotes the lifestyle philosophy of "Respect, Rethink, Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle" through a variety of hands on projects that anyone can join, like picking up trash along streams, trails, and roads. She is even willing to work with the Devils—the Grand County Devils, that is, to turn Grand County High School into a “no waste” school. Sara does not work alone. Erin Olschewski, the tireless president of the Earth Club at the high school, helps her coordinate both the recycling program and awareness events at the school. Erin believes that “it's time for us to realize how everything is connected.” She stays motivated to volunteer time from her busy schedule because “by taking the time to show you care, you are inspiring others.”
This Halloween, Sara and Erin plan to challenge the stereotype that respecting the earth is all puritan guilt. Drawing on the long tradition of Halloween as a day for costumes and masks to drive out evil spirits, they are kicking of Halloween by asking people to join them on a walk through Moab dressed as the evil threats to our earth—a literal and figurative parade of horribles.
So, pull out your greatest representation of an eco-threat and join the Grand County Earth Club’s parade of horribles. They will meet at Swanny Park at 4:00 PM on October 31.
Class Room Visits on 350 Mile Walk
Contact: Jamie Pleune
801-707-4471
pleunej@gmail.com
Ryan Pleune
801-633-3474
ryanpleune@hotmail.com
For Immediate Release:
Former Utah Science Teacher Visits Classrooms During 350 Mile Walk for Climate Change
Salt Lake City, Utah (September 28, 2010) As teachers around the nation get ready to return to the classroom, one Utah science teacher has decided to “get to work” by quitting his job. He and his wife Jamie, an environmental attorney, are returning from two years of work in Washington D.C. to begin a 350 mile walk through eastern Utah. Their walk is part pilgrimage and part political march with the goal to find hope and meet others in their home state that are “getting to work” on climate change solutions.
“Get to work” is the key phrase for a world-wide campaign spearheaded by 350.org. The purpose of the campaign is to publicize the number 350 parts per million, the safe concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere to preserve life as we know it. To urge world leaders to take immediate and effective action on climate change, people all over the world have responded to 350.org’s “call to action” by organizing community work parties that will take place on October 10, 2010. The message sent to world leaders by thousands of people installing solar panels, breaking ground for a community garden, or picking up trash is clear. “We’re ready to get to work addressing climate change, what about you?”
Ryan and Jamie will spend October 10, 2010 picking up trash with a group of high school students in Fort Duchesne to kick off a walk through eastern Utah that they’re calling the “350 miles: 350 postcards” initiative. They hope that their walk will create a new story of courage and action that can help non-traditional environmentalists define for themselves what “getting to work” means. Along the walk, the Pleunes hope to bring publicity to the work being done by local teachers and activists. “It is surprising” Ryan says “how many people even in the conservative state of Utah are seriously concerned about the climate crisis and are doing great work to address it.” Ryan and Jamie are convinced there are at least 350 community leaders throughout rural eastern Utah that will be willing to send a postcard to their congressmen describing the hard work they are doing in their communities. The work they have chosen this fall is to meet them.
When asked about how quitting his job has to do with getting to work Ryan responded: “Getting to work used to mean waking up at 5:00 A.M., riding my bike to work at a local high school, pulling my thoughts together, and teaching a revolving door of students in earth systems classes until the bell rang at the end of the school day. The problem was, I just didn’t feel like my work was preparing my students for the future.”
801-707-4471
pleunej@gmail.com
Ryan Pleune
801-633-3474
ryanpleune@hotmail.com
For Immediate Release:
Former Utah Science Teacher Visits Classrooms During 350 Mile Walk for Climate Change
Salt Lake City, Utah (September 28, 2010) As teachers around the nation get ready to return to the classroom, one Utah science teacher has decided to “get to work” by quitting his job. He and his wife Jamie, an environmental attorney, are returning from two years of work in Washington D.C. to begin a 350 mile walk through eastern Utah. Their walk is part pilgrimage and part political march with the goal to find hope and meet others in their home state that are “getting to work” on climate change solutions.
“Get to work” is the key phrase for a world-wide campaign spearheaded by 350.org. The purpose of the campaign is to publicize the number 350 parts per million, the safe concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere to preserve life as we know it. To urge world leaders to take immediate and effective action on climate change, people all over the world have responded to 350.org’s “call to action” by organizing community work parties that will take place on October 10, 2010. The message sent to world leaders by thousands of people installing solar panels, breaking ground for a community garden, or picking up trash is clear. “We’re ready to get to work addressing climate change, what about you?”
Ryan and Jamie will spend October 10, 2010 picking up trash with a group of high school students in Fort Duchesne to kick off a walk through eastern Utah that they’re calling the “350 miles: 350 postcards” initiative. They hope that their walk will create a new story of courage and action that can help non-traditional environmentalists define for themselves what “getting to work” means. Along the walk, the Pleunes hope to bring publicity to the work being done by local teachers and activists. “It is surprising” Ryan says “how many people even in the conservative state of Utah are seriously concerned about the climate crisis and are doing great work to address it.” Ryan and Jamie are convinced there are at least 350 community leaders throughout rural eastern Utah that will be willing to send a postcard to their congressmen describing the hard work they are doing in their communities. The work they have chosen this fall is to meet them.
When asked about how quitting his job has to do with getting to work Ryan responded: “Getting to work used to mean waking up at 5:00 A.M., riding my bike to work at a local high school, pulling my thoughts together, and teaching a revolving door of students in earth systems classes until the bell rang at the end of the school day. The problem was, I just didn’t feel like my work was preparing my students for the future.”
350 Mile Walk is a Pilgrimage for Hope
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801-707-4471
pleunej@gmail.com
Ryan Pleune
801-633-3474
ryanpleune@hotmail.com
For Immediate Release:
Two Utahns Urge Leaders to Address Climate Change and Protect Wild Places with 350 Mile Walk
Salt Lake City, UT (September 28, 2010) This fall, after two years in Washington D.C., a lawyer and a teacher are moving back to Utah. Instead of following the traditional job search, Jamie and Ryan Pleune decided to “get to work.” That is the key phrase for a world-wide campaign publicizing the number 350 parts per million, the safe concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere to preserve life as we know it. Jamie and Ryan are participating in the 350.org “call to action,” which urges citizens around the globe to join in a world-wide day of action by organizing community “work parties.” So, on October 10, 2010, people all over the world will be working on local projects like installing solar panels on a school, breaking ground for a community garden, or picking up trash. The message sent to world leaders is clear, “we’re ready to get to work addressing climate change, what about you?”
Ryan and Jamie’s work party will last longer than a day. Starting on October 14, they will begin a 350 mile walk through the rugged desert of eastern Utah. Blending the traditions of pilgrimages and political marches, they explain that every step on the 350 mile walk represents a step away from a carbon-based economy. “I found myself feeling hopeless about the future,” Jamie explains. “As an environmental lawyer, I spend a lot of time reading about environmental problems—species extinctions, threats to drinking water supplies, and climate change predictions. I thought that by becoming a lawyer I would be able to contribute to a more sustainable future. Instead, I feel even more helpless. With the political process stalled by politicians who still argue that climate change is not human-caused, and with corporate lobbies composed of powerhouses like BP, Exxon, and Shell, it is hard to imagine how the climate crisis will ever be addressed. This walk is an effort to reclaim hope by physically taking a long journey one step at a time and trying to bring the lessons of the backcountry into the politics of the beltway.”
At the end of every mile, the Pleunes will take a picture. Each picture will become a postcard to Washington. The Pleunes plan to solicit at least 350 additional postcards from other concerned citizens around Utah through mini-work parties and events organized in Fort Duchesne, Moab, and Salt Lake City. The collective message they hope to send to Washington is that the journey away from a carbon economy begins, as the old saying goes, with a single step. So let’s get to work.
To get involved in a work party planned in your area, visit www.350.org. You can read more about the 350 Miles: 350 Postcards project and follow the Pleune’s blog at www.thewildernessproject.com
801-707-4471
pleunej@gmail.com
Ryan Pleune
801-633-3474
ryanpleune@hotmail.com
For Immediate Release:
Two Utahns Urge Leaders to Address Climate Change and Protect Wild Places with 350 Mile Walk
Salt Lake City, UT (September 28, 2010) This fall, after two years in Washington D.C., a lawyer and a teacher are moving back to Utah. Instead of following the traditional job search, Jamie and Ryan Pleune decided to “get to work.” That is the key phrase for a world-wide campaign publicizing the number 350 parts per million, the safe concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere to preserve life as we know it. Jamie and Ryan are participating in the 350.org “call to action,” which urges citizens around the globe to join in a world-wide day of action by organizing community “work parties.” So, on October 10, 2010, people all over the world will be working on local projects like installing solar panels on a school, breaking ground for a community garden, or picking up trash. The message sent to world leaders is clear, “we’re ready to get to work addressing climate change, what about you?”
Ryan and Jamie’s work party will last longer than a day. Starting on October 14, they will begin a 350 mile walk through the rugged desert of eastern Utah. Blending the traditions of pilgrimages and political marches, they explain that every step on the 350 mile walk represents a step away from a carbon-based economy. “I found myself feeling hopeless about the future,” Jamie explains. “As an environmental lawyer, I spend a lot of time reading about environmental problems—species extinctions, threats to drinking water supplies, and climate change predictions. I thought that by becoming a lawyer I would be able to contribute to a more sustainable future. Instead, I feel even more helpless. With the political process stalled by politicians who still argue that climate change is not human-caused, and with corporate lobbies composed of powerhouses like BP, Exxon, and Shell, it is hard to imagine how the climate crisis will ever be addressed. This walk is an effort to reclaim hope by physically taking a long journey one step at a time and trying to bring the lessons of the backcountry into the politics of the beltway.”
At the end of every mile, the Pleunes will take a picture. Each picture will become a postcard to Washington. The Pleunes plan to solicit at least 350 additional postcards from other concerned citizens around Utah through mini-work parties and events organized in Fort Duchesne, Moab, and Salt Lake City. The collective message they hope to send to Washington is that the journey away from a carbon economy begins, as the old saying goes, with a single step. So let’s get to work.
To get involved in a work party planned in your area, visit www.350.org. You can read more about the 350 Miles: 350 Postcards project and follow the Pleune’s blog at www.thewildernessproject.com
