G20 Activists: Why Am I Here Today?

The banner has come down. Greenpeace activists are safe. And, after two
hours hanging from the West End Bridge, the 80x30-foot banner spoke to
world leaders meeting in Pittsburgh at the G20 summit.

"Why am I here today?" The activists share their story in this inspirational video.

I
get goose bumps every time I watch this video. The line that sticks in
my head each time I watch is, "as Americans we need to do the right
thing, especially when it's hard."

It's not easy to change the
way the world operates. There is no "easy button" to turn off all the
pollution and resource destruction. But, the reality is--burning fossil
fuels for energy is destroying our planet. We need a fundamental switch
to clean, renewable energy in order for future generations to have,
well, a future.

G20 banner

I
realize that's not easy. It will take all of us working together,
building "green" infrastructure. But, I believe that fighting for a
clean healthy future for my son is worth it. I want to be able to look
him in the eyes and tell him I did everything I could to make sure he
could touch a 1,000 year old tree, swim in pollutant-free rivers,
breath fresh air and see glaciers.

I'm not a climber, but I was able to hang my very own Greenpeace banner -- on Facebook! There is a really neat new app, try it out.

And, if you haven't taken action yet, please do. President Obama needs to hear from all of us that we are ready for a strong world climate treaty. Together, we can do great things.

© 2023 Greenpeace