Although cape cool  is all about keeping our climate livable and our coasts stable, we whole-heartedly support the 10th artpeace WALKING celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday in Wellfleet Monday Jan. 16-- and not just because walking is a great way to keep the planet cool.   Just as ecology teaches us that all forms of life exist in complex relation to each other, so it is with our issues and concerns.  War and peace are environmental issues.  Housing, employment, healthcare and education are environmental issues. Climate is a political issue.  Speaking truth to power is as important for the future of our planet as it is for our democracy.

2011 has witnessed the emergence not only of a global movement for democracy and economic justice, but of a global environmental movement focused on the climate crisis.  It is a movement fueled by the courage and concern of old and young (mainly young), rich and poor (mainly poor) people of all races and ethnicities.  From the polluted Athabascan waterways of the Canadian Tar Sands to South Pacific island nations sinking into the sea to inner city children battling asthma; from parents struggling to put food on the table to farmers world-wide trying to protect the integrity of seeds and crops, environmental activists are now recognized as human rights activists.  Eco-activists may feel a deep connection with all life on earth, but can no longer be dismissed as “tree-huggers.”  We stand in solidarity with non-violent activists risking their lives to build a truly democratic society on a healthier planet.