Red, White, Blue .. and Green?
July 5th, 2007 by Carbon Coalition 
The Amherst, New Hampshire Green was greener than usual yesterday during the village’s annual 4th of July celebration. Residents showed up in their green shirts and waved green flags along the parade route to demonstrate their call for action on global warming. After marching in the parade and handing out hundreds of the red and white “Stop Global Warming” stickers, volunteers from Climate Summer and NH Carbon Challenge talked to parade watchers and marchers alike about the issue and solutions at the federal and local levels.
The Amherst Parade attracted two presidential candidates and we were lucky enough to catch up with both of them. Volunteer and Amherst resident Gail D. approached Bill Richardson on the Amherst Green with a poster-sized copy of the Amherst NH Climate Change Resolution. Sporting his Red Sox jacket, Gov. Richardson on July 4th became the first candidate for president to sign his name underneath the NH Climate Change Resolution. (Senator Chris Dodd formerly endorsed the resolution in a March news release and Senator John McCain acknowledged the resolution and his support of it in a Sullivan County campaign stop just after March Town Meetings- both posted in TPC). Richardson also ASKED us for a ”Stop Global Warming” sticker - that’s a first. While Rep. Hunter told us that he supported the fight against global warming, he said that, unfortunately, he didn’t have time to take a look at the Amherst Resolution.
Richardson, McCain and Dodd join a long list of New Hampshire politicians who have signed onto and endorsed the NH Climate Change Resolution, among them state Senators Maggie Hassan and Martha Fuller Clark, Executive Councilors Ray Burton, Deb Pignatelli and Bev Hollingworth, and congressman (at the time) Charlie Bass (Bass in fact was the first Peterborough resident to sign the petition to get the resolution on the warrant). We’ll share more names in future posts.
Following the parade and festivities on the Geen, residents and visitors assembled in the First Congregational Church to hear author Bill McKibben speak. McKibben, who’s book End of Nature was the first book on climate change intended for a general audience, began by sharing some alarming facts about global warming. He continued with anecdotes of hope and left the crowd inspired to take action on their own. He encouraged political organizing and reminded NH residents of the unique opportunity we have to talk with all of the presidential candidates. If you are interested in talking to the candidates, bookmark our candidate calendar to find out when they are coming through your area!
