Climate March Update #3

Hi everyone! I have lots of exciting news with this update!

With only 41 days left to go before the march starts, it's crunch time! I'm so excited for the people who are starting in California, and I wish I could be there with them as they take their first steps. May 23rd cannot come soon enough!

The Climate March recently received a donation of $20,000 to go toward a food truck. That is half of the cost, and the march is currently looking for an organization or business to sponsor the other half. If you know an organization or business that might be interested, please email Zach Heffernen, the Marcher Director, at zach@climatemarch.org.

As for me, I have reached 25% of my fundraising goal! I owe a very special thank you to an anonymous donor who gave $500 to my cause. Your generosity is above and beyond and if you're reading this, I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart. You can view a running list of my donors on my CrowdRise fundraising page. 

I have also received two more gold sponsorships! One comes from the Ithaca Hemp Company in Ithaca, NY, near my college. Ithaca Hemp Company carries lots of awesome hemp products, including clothing. Hemp is one of the most versatile and sustainable materials out there, and can be used to make over 25,000 products! Unfortunately, hemp gets a bad rep because of its close relation to cannabis — or marijuana — and currently it is illegal to grow hemp in the United States. To learn more about hemp and all of its awesome benefits, check out this past Viridorari post. To learn more about Ithaca Hemp Company and all of their epic products, check out their website. Thank you, Ithaca Hemp Company, for becoming the first business to sponsor my march!

The second gold sponsorship comes from the Palmyra-Macedon Rotary Club. This sponsorship is very special to me because I have been involved with Interact and Rotary throughout my high school career. Interact, the high school version of Rotary, inspired a love of community service in me and taught me invaluable lessons about leadership. I have learned so much about myself through Interact, and I look forward to becoming a Rotary member someday. I am staying involved and participating in my college's Rotaract Club. It means the world to me that an organization that has influenced me so profoundly has made a generous contribution to my march — which I'm sure will be a life-changing experience that will develop me even further. Thank you, Palmyra-Macedon Rotary Club, for becoming the first organization to sponsor my march!

State of the State Ban Fracking Rally

On January 8^th, I traveled to Albany on a bus with other New Yorkers from Buffalo and Rochester. We protested hydraulic fracturing and demanded a statewide ban at Governor Andrew Cuomo’s State of the State Address.

            There were people there protesting/advocating for other things, such as the NY S.A.F.E. Act and medical marijuana. However, the anti-frackers definitely had the greatest attendance, with the final count coming to over 2,000 people! Our chanting definitely drowned out all other simultaneous protests. As we gathered in the hallway in front of the Convention Center, the police had to keep extending the protesting area farther and farther down the hall to accommodate all of us.

 

Me and my sign

 An awesome little girl standing up for New York

            There were lots of awesome signs, and I saw a group of people from Gas Free Seneca protesting. It really warmed my heart to see them there and spreading the news about what’s happening with our lake. To learn more about Seneca Lake and the potential danger of liquefied petroleum gas storage, go to gasfreeseneca.com.

This was probably the best sign I saw. It was beautifully painted!

Climate March Update #2

Hello readers! I have another fundraising update for you.

I have received my first gold and silver sponsorships! Ron and RoseMarie, who participated in the Keystone XL sit-in with me over the summer, are my first silver sponsors. My grandmother, Cindy, is my first gold sponsor. Thank you so much for your generous contributions to my cause!

A silver sponsor donates 50 cents for each day I march, or $81, and a gold sponsor donates $1 for each day I march, or $162. If you're interested in becoming a sponsor, email me at viridorari@yahoo.com. You can donate to my cause directly any time at http://www.crowdrise.com/FaithMeckleyTaosNM-DC

Thank you to friends and family who donated to my cause instead of getting me a physical present this Christmas! My dad is donating by taking me out to buy equipment I will need for my march. Thanks, Dad!

So far, I have sold 22 bracelets! Help me get rid of the other 178. They cost $2. If you're interested in buying one, or you know a business that might be willing to sell them at their check-out counters, email me and let me know!

My dad wearing his Climate March bracelet

Picture courtesy of: Me

I have received a couple of orders for items out of the Nature's Vision fundraising catalog. Give the catalog a looksie here and email me if you'd like to order anything.

I am currently working on writing out sponsorship request letters to companies. I hope to send them out within the next week! If you know a company or own a company that might be interested in sponsoring me, email me and let me know. 

Remember, if you want to receive postcards as I walk across the country, email me and let me know. There is a suggested $15 donation to cover the costs of your cards and postage. Please keep this donation separate from any other donations you make, and DO NOT donate your postcard money onto my Crowdrise site.

Thank you everyone who has supported me and who will support me! Have a very happy New Year! If you're looking for ways to be greener in the New Year, check out this post.

The Green Resolution

I've never really been one to have a New Year's resolution. I've always seen it as something that people promise to do and then give up after a week or two of commitment. Also, I don't think we should wait for a new year to make much needed changes in our lives. I believe a resolution or a promise for change can happen at any time, when it's needed most. But, if you are inspired and committed to having a resolution this year, this post is for you!

For those of you who want to have a serious resolution but haven't thought of one, there's a change that's needed desperately right now. The human race needs to have a resolution to reduce our negative impacts on the planet and increase our sustainable habits. Instead of buying an expensive gym membership that you'll only use for a week, make a commitment to living a greener lifestyle for 2014.

Going green can help you be healthier too: physically, mentally, and spiritually. And, an awesome thing about going green is that for many initiatives, it won't cost you any money or it will save you money!  

There are lots of money saving, free, and cheap things you can do to be more sustainable, and I will try to list as many as I can think of here. Feel free to add more in the comments if I miss anything!