Editor,

Organizers and sponsors of the Stand Up for Science Rally and March on Earth Day want to thank the presenters, volunteers, Vern Olsen and the Town of Coupeville, for their various roles in this very significant event.

We shared some inconvenient but necessary truths about water, noise and CO2 pollution on the community’s health and the key role science plays in good decision making.

Facts matter. One highlight of the event was the presence of the six Earth Guardians youth who spoke and sang about why environmental justice was critical to their future.

The tempestuous weather could not dampen their spirits as they enthusiastically led the throng through Coupeville. Ours was one of over 20 events in Washington state, 500 nationally and another 100 internationally involving thousands of people. Ours was referred to in the Seattle Times.

We are not protesters, we are protectors. Caring for the biosphere that we depend upon for our very lives and basing decisions on facts is reasonable, necessary and responsible. We are compelled by the evidence based, peer-reviewed science and by conscience that we act as if Earth Day was every day.

Gary Piazzon, president

Whidbey Environmental Action Network