A group of local residents have come together to organise a bright and colourful Earth March along Forres High St on Friday 24th September, from 2-4pm, to call for urgent and ambitious action on the climate and ecological crisis.
Their vision is to see families and people of all ages and from all walks of life join together with creative, heartfelt messages about what we need and desire in order to live sustainably and ensure a safe, healthy future and a just transition for all.
They are also inviting organisations to march with them, carrying banners with their names so that they can demonstrate the full breadth of local organisations in this area who are calling for action. Additionally, if you would like to publicise the work you are doing locally to bring about positive change, or can offer volunteers to help with stewarding the event, please get in touch at earthmarchforres@gmail.com so that they can discuss your ideas and any queries you may have.
They have been moved to organise the march by the unprecedented heatwaves, wildfires, and flooding we have seen around the world this summer, as well as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s latest assessment report, which the head of the UN called a “Code Red” for humanity. It is vital that we all raise our voices and call for the action required to protect our communities and future generations from the worst consequences of climate change.
The march will start off from the Thomson Memorial obelisk (next to Forres Post Office) and end at Grant Park, with a pause around the Tolbooth to allow an opportunity for speeches, performances and singing.
It will coincide with Fridays for Futures’ Global Climate Strike, and is being organised as part of Scotland’s Climate Fringe Week, a series of locally organised events designed to get people talking about what needs to be done to address the climate crisis and move quickly to a greener, fairer, zero-carbon world ahead of the UN COP26 climate conference in Glasgow in November.