Climate Fest (April 26, 2025) was a day full of tears and joys as we came together to care for and celebrate the Earth and to not feel separated from nature and one another. While climate change data may be abstract and the news detached from human experience, art can convey the emotional realities behind the numbers and lead the way to hope, to action, and to dancing.
The event began with Cory VanGelder’s land acknowledgment and a prayer for the four young women who tragically died this week. A Greenstich teen read her poem for the ocean and Jason Deschler chanted his ancestor's songs honoring life and death.
From this solemn beginning, the Fest rolled into a joyous celebration of community with lunch (tacos and tostadas), ice cream, aerial dancing, displays of sustainable product, information booths, our One Beach Plastic hands-on activity, an exhibit of Stewards of the Land portraits and stories of our Indigenous and Latinx neighbors, and lots of conviviating…
The day that began with a chant and a prayer ended with a rockin’ band, with everyone up and dancing.
And then, we were blessed with rain.