TAKOMA PARK, MD – Climate activists nationwide take the “polar bear plunge” on Saturday to call on Congress to immediately adopt President Joe Biden’s plan for 100% clean electricity by 2035. In this first-ever national plunge for climate action, participants dipped into rivers, ponds and backyard pools after a virtual rally led by Congressman Don McEachin (D-Va), author Bill McKibben, and the Rev. Lennox Yearwood of the Hip Hop Caucus.
The “Keep Winter Cold” national plunge was organized by Chesapeake Climate Action Network (CCAN). Even a pandemic could not stop participants from facing icy waters. Participants came together virtually and showcased videos and photos of themselves plunging from home — with everything from ice buckets and water guns to dips in local bodies of water and bath tubs. There was also a costume contest featuring Amazonian queens, Bernie in his mittens, a dragon, the James River, and a Viking.
This year’s plunge, which took place the day before Valentine’s Day,
is also partly a celebration of the climate champions we elected in
2020. The Biden administration has made the climate crisis a top
priority by taking immediate actions such as rejoining the Paris Climate
Agreement and stopping the Keystone XL Pipeline. CCAN will continue
pushing for ambitious climate solutions, including President Biden’s
promise of 100% clean electricity by 2035, as well as other national and
regional priorities.
“Today hundreds of people took the
plunge into icy-cold water nationwide to highlight the need to save our
warming planet,” said Mike Tidwell, director of CCAN. “From age seven to
75, these climate heroes are challenging Congress to also take the
plunge, and join Joe Biden’s call for 100% clean electricity by 2035.
It’s time. ”
Every winter for the past 15 years, hundreds of
passionate climate activists from across Maryland, Virginia, and
Washington, DC, would come together to run, walk, and skip into an icy
body of water to raise funds for CCAN. Just like a charity fun run,
plunge participants take pledges from their friends and family to
support CCAN’s vital climate work.
The very first Polar Bear
Plunge to “Keep Winter Cold” was held in December of 2005 and brought in
just over a dozen participants, raising around $5,000. The humble
beginnings of this event sowed an incredible foundation for what is now
CCAN’s largest signature fundraising event.
This year’s Polar Bear Plunge was made possible with the support from our partners MOM’s Organic Market, Neighborhood Sun, and Amalgamated Bank.
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