Oregon Marchers lug solar panels to Salem to raise awareness about globall warming
Posted by Steph Yiu April 18, 2007 09:30AM
Source: Oregonlive.com
http://blog.oregonlive.com/breakingnews/2007/04/
Here’s one way to get attention for a cause: Strap a 20-pound solar panel to your back and walk from Portland to Salem. That’s just what a couple of marchers did in recent days, with company from 10 others. The dozen left an environmental rally Saturday in downtown Portland for the 53.5-mile walk to the Capitol. They wanted to raise awareness about global warming.
“Mount up!” yelled Dexter Gauntlett, 24, as they started at the Hawthorne Bridge. He looked like a Ninja Turtle with his bright green headband and a solar panel shell. Friend Billy Warlick, 26, also carried a panel. Cars honked in support, and spectators waved.
“If this is the start of a big thing, then we can say, ‘Hey, we were there at the beginning,’¤” said Matt Tidwell, 24. At night, the marchers were welcomed at churches and schools to sleep and eat. They arrived Tuesday, a little ahead of schedule. And when they were done, they took buses and car pools home.