Portland

This past Saturday there was a big rally in Portland, Maine protesting the tar sands pipeline that will cut through New England. Basically, the pipeline would be terrible for the environment due to the likelihood of spills, increased carbon in the atmosphere and the US wouldn't even be using the oil.
It turns out that a bus was going to the rally from Burlington so myself, two friends and a professor decided to go. It was over ten hours in the bus round trip and we were only in Portland for about three hours but it was still a good time. About 1400 people showed up and we marched together down to the ferry dock which is where the pipeline would end. There were fifteen different speakers that presented and they all made really good point. The mayor of Portland as well as some of Maine's congress members spoke out against the pipeline.
Part of the crowd at the end of the rally.
It was great to see that so many people protest the pipeline. I think more and more people are becoming aware of the issue. Even though it was extremely cold, it was still a good day. We had to leave a few minutes early so that are toes didn't fall off but we ended up getting some really good food at a chowder house. So I was fine with that. The event also made me excited for the rally in Washington DC which is coming up in a few weeks. At first I didn't think I would be able to make it but after changing some plans I was able to make room for it. 20,000 people are expected to gather in front on the White House on Feb 17th. If you want to find out more about these actions click here.

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