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Parachutes for the Planet made in Castlegar visit B.C. Legislature

The student-led event featured over 30 parachutes from across southeastern B.C.
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MLA Katrine Conroy (second from left) joins Citizens’ Climate Lobby volunteers, Judy Betts, Laura Sacks and Anni Holtby on the B.C. Legislative grounds in front of Mount Sentinel Secondary School’s Green Team parachute. Photo submitted

Kootenay West MLA Katrine Conroy joined climate volunteers from Citizens’ Climate Lobby Canada during a creative climate awareness event on the front lawn of the B.C. Legislature on May 13. This student-led event featured over 30 parachutes from across southeastern B.C., including ones created by students at Kinnaird and Twin Rivers Elementary Schools, Selkirk College, 1st Robson Scouts, and Kootenay Gallery.

Parachutes for the Planet is a youth-inspired collective international art project illustrating shared concern for climate change. Parachutes, a metaphor for a soft landing for a healthy and safe future for today’s youth, are the catalyst for people to come together in their communities to create parachutes at schools, art galleries, fairs, and homes. The Parachutes for the Planet display aims to show Parliamentarians that people across our province care deeply about solving the climate crisis and want them to act now.

“What inspires me the most about this project are the personal stories behind each parachute,” says Laura Sacks, from Thrums and co-chair of the Nelson-West Kootenay Citizens’ Climate Lobby chapter. “Each parachute is a unique artistic creation expressing local concerns about the health of our planet and hopes for the future.”

During the same week as the display, citizen lobbyists from the West Kootenay, Vancouver, Victoria, and Clearwater met with MLAs. Citizens’ Climate Lobby volunteers have been lobbying for a liveable world since 2010 in Canada.

The Parachutes for the Planet display is part of a global project. In the fall of 2018, over 200 parachutes from six continents, 30 countries, and 28 states were on display in Washington, DC, organized by the Mother Earth Project. Mother Earth Project encourages people worldwide to lead more sustainable lives, filled with daily acts of saving and protecting the environment.