Hundreds of environmental activists braved frigid temperatures at the State Capitol for the 10th and possibly last “I Love Mountains” Day Thursday.
To chants were familiar to longtime marchers. "What do we want? Clean water! When do we want it? Now!"
Bundled inside thick coats and gloves, the crowd made the chilly march down Capitol Avenue to rally for greener jobs, sustainable power, and clean water. Nick Cornett with the Appalachian drama group Higher Ground highlighted the grassroots momentum of the movement.
"The power to change Eastern Kentucky is in us. Right here. Right now," he said.
Kentuckians for the Commonwealth members are pushing House Bill 229, which would require utilities to begin generating a portion of their electricity through renewable resources. And while “I Love Mountains” Day has gained popularity over the past decade, Teri Blanton with KFTC says organizers are considering broadening the event’s focus to include a variety of social justice movements.
"Instead of you have this march, and this march, and this march, somehow we've got to recognize that we're all in this together," she told WUKY.
Blanton says future rallies may shift from the Capitol to the communities in Eastern Kentucky most affected by what she dubs “old power.”
