The marchers met on the steps of Kalamazoo City Hall. Many wore respirators or masks to draw attention to the dangers of wildfire smoke.
They listened to speakers who urged lawmakers to take action and build on the 2022 MI Healthy Climate Plan. Among the speakers on the steps of City Hall was Kalamazoo Vice Mayor Don Cooney.
“I'm one of these guys you come in here to push. Keep pushing us. We get people pushing us from many different areas, but this is the great moral issue of our time. And we need you. We need you to help us understand what has to be done, and to push us to do the right thing.”
Mattawan High School senior Mia Breznau, also spoke in front of City Hall. She called the climate crisis a public health emergency. Breznau pointed to another health danger: a longer, more intense tick season. She linked her 2019 diagnosis of Lyme disease to a warming climate.
“Lyme disease is ravaging Michigan now. Canada is burning now. Climate change is affecting Michiganders right now,” Breznau said.
“Sure, it may be up to us young kids to build a sustainable world. But it's up to the adults in power right now to lay that foundation.”
Allen Webb organized the event. The Western Michigan University professor is a member of WMU’s Climate Change Working Group.
“We’ve had not only the wildfire smoke, which was very troubling, of course. We've had serious flooding in Kalamazoo in the last few years. We've had these polar vortices, which are extremely cold. Doesn't sound like global warming, but in fact, it's tied to it.”
Webb said his daughters inspired him to organize the Wildfire Smoke Climate Crisis March. On bad air quality days in June, the girls, ages 12 and 10, couldn’t go outside and do the normal summer activities kids on summer break usually get to do. Webb said it upset him and prompted him to act.
About two dozen people attended Thursday’s event. They walked from City Hall to Bronson Hospital, where they thanked the staff for caring for people with illnesses related to climate change.
