Iowa activist Ed Fallon organizes nationwide 'March for Climate Action'

nationwide-march-coogan — The Great Peace March, held in 1986, was also organized by Iowa activist Ed Fallon. — *photo by Dan Coogan*

Iowa politician and activist Ed Fallon is organizing The Great March for Climate Action, an eight-month, cross-country demonstration to raise awareness about the climate crisis. Participants will hit the pavement on March 1 in Los Angeles, walking 15 miles each day across 36 states, ultimately ending in Washington D.C. on November 1.

This will be “one of the largest coast-to-coast marches in American history,” officials say. Marchers will stop in several cities along the way, including a stop in Iowa City on August 20.

Communications Director Dave Murphy said that the biggest challenge in coordinating an event of this size is the logistics, such as setting up campsites along the way and making sure everyone has enough food and water.

Coordinators are planning the event from their Des Moines office, though State Coordinators are being established in each state along the route to help find campsites and provide local insights about the route.

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Marchers are helping to raise the money with the help of crowdfunding. The organization asks that each participant raise $20 for each day they are marching in order to help cover food and lodging costs.

Fallon has organized cross-country marches in the past, including the Great Peace March in 1986, and thought a march would be an effective way to gain support and raise awareness about climate change.

Murphy said that the goal of the march is to make people aware of the climate crisis.

“People need to understand that this is a full on crisis. They need to know that 97% of environmental scientists agree that it’s a crisis,” Murphy said. “People don’t understand and we want to educate them.”