Sierra Club rallies near Pitt, protests Bush’s policies

Bill Arthur wants to clean up the environment, but he thinks President George W. Bush is… Bill Arthur wants to clean up the environment, but he thinks President George W. Bush is standing in his way.

‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ The slogan ‘Save a tree, remove a bush,’ was plastered all over posters Sunday at the ‘Take Back the Earth’ rally at the Oval Grove in Schenley Park.

‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ About 100 people gathered there to protest the way the Bush administration’s environmental policies are harming Pennsylvania communities. The Sierra Club, a nationwide grass-roots organization with a strong focus on environmental protection, sponsored the event.

‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ According to Arthur, who is the northwest regional coordinator for the Sierra Club, the Bush administration is attempting to prevent the public from participating in acts to clean up and protect the nation’s clean air and water.

‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ The standards for clean air and water protection are weakening, he said, adding that the Bush administration is trying to make it more difficult to hold the government responsible for polluting the air and water.

‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ There were five different speakers at the rally, including Penn Future’s Heather Sage.

‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘Dirty air kills more people than drunk driving and homicide combined,’ Sage said.

‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ Other speakers gave the audience tips on ways they can help to improve the environment, including registering to vote and not idling their vehicles.

‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ After the rally, most of the crowd split into groups to walk through Squirrel Hill and educate the community about Pennsylvania’s environmental problems. The groups worked to explain to residents their reasons for disagreeing with the Bush administration’s environmental problems.

‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ Clare Sierawski, the public relations director of Pitt’s Free the Planet Club, said she hoped the walkers would ‘make people more aware of the environmental degradation going on because of the Bush administration.’