It is easy to question the real effectiveness or value of protest. A bunch of people holding signs in the cold, shouting awkward rhymes and marching seems to do little but re-enforce the stereotype of whiny liberals. Besides, the people in the passing cars are not in any position to accommodate your demands. So why bother? Why is community organizing and public protest such a crucial part of something as big as the fight on global warming? Wouldn’t it be better if we all stayed home, wrote e-mails to our representatives, and saved the gas?

No.

Without public visibility for a cause, people cannot see the energy behind it. People committed to a cause devote vast amounts of time and energy, but without a public display of those efforts, others may not realize so many are committed to an issue.  There are two sides to the fight on global warming, the public and the personal. It is of critical importance that we all do our part as individuals to be conscious of our energy use and waste, and remain proactive in pressuring our politicians to act on climate legislation. Without this commitment of personal time and energy, there really would be no point behind group sign waving in the streets. But the sign waving becomes essential when it is backed up with real action. Gaining a public venue to raise salience for an issue is just as important as the day-to-day mundane commitments to a greener community, and arguably lot more fun. Activism has a lot more glamour and zeal about it than sorting recycling or making carbon audits. It keeps people motivated to know that they are one of many, and may incite others to action as well. Everyone wants to feel like they are part of something bigger than themselves, and this is exactly what this type of community organizing is meant to communicate. The more of us they see, maybe the more of us there will be.

Gathering for local events like protests and lectures creates awareness for a cause in your local community, where you have the most power to act. Community organization also galvanizes people who live together to work together. People can share and coordinate resources, creating broader networks of support and knowledge. Today I attended a local rally for a global network, known as 350 (see 350.org), a global climate awareness group that takes its name from the highest safe concentration of C02 in our atmosphere, 350 parts per million (We are currently at about 385ppm, and inching higher). Our group of twenty something from Bard College was joined by almost 200 members of the Hudson valley community, including local politicians, church members, children and college students. We share a cause and we share a community, now we share our resources. As a result of today’s meeting, the Bard Environmental Collective is in touch with local colleges about their efforts to green their campuses, learning from each other’s mistakes and sharing our successes.

Standing in the street will never save the world alone, but our collective actions will, and nothing else. Any manifestation of collective efforts only serves to reaffirm and encourage those efforts, rallying support and building community bonds to achieve a common goal. The clichéd old mantra, ‘think globally, act locally’ rang true in the Hudson valley last Sunday, as local activists joined millions in a global cause. The 350 organization is gathering pictures of local events to send to the next UN panel on climate change. Our group’s photos will join others from places as far flung as India and South America, echoing the global cry that one number represents a sustainable future for us all.