Brainstorming Signs for the March for Science, Days 1-13

Once I got started thinking of signs for the People’s Climate March, I began to feel remiss that I wasn’t doing anything for the March for Science (this Saturday, 4/22). I find this one a little trickier– since, as one sign puts it “Technology Owes Ecology an Apology.” But science and technology cut both ways, and to me, the goal of the Science March is to help “Tilt Science Toward Justice” through public investment.

Here’s what we’ve come up with for the first 13 days (please view on web if you are an email subscriber):

Day 1 of 14 brainstorming signs for the #marchforscience in D.C. & in cities around the U.S. Today's idea comes from #themartian #themartianmovie, where the hero used his knowledge of botany and basic #STEM to survive abandonment on Mars. For the #7billionpeople on earth, the hour is similarly late. We need to get serious about #scienceliteracy, and (because, unlike the Martian, we are not alone), #socialliteracy so we can save ourselves. #climateaction #climatechange #peoplesclimate #peoplesclimatemarch #climatemarchsigns #whyimarch #sciencetheshit

A post shared by ZeroWasteFail (@zerowastefail) on Apr 8, 2017 at 8:03pm PDT

Day 2 of 14 brainstorming signs for the #marchforscience in D.C. & cities across the U.S. Today's theme: observation. The scientific method relies on noticing small variations, and using these observations as a springboard. #fakenews multiplies because we are so heavily marinated in our media environments that we forget to get out there and see for ourselves. #peoplesclimatemarch #pcm #climatemarchsigns

A post shared by ZeroWasteFail (@zerowastefail) on Apr 9, 2017 at 11:33pm PDT

Day 3 of 14 brainstorming signs for the #marchforscience in D.C. & cities across the U.S. Thanks to Mr. Life Partner for coming up with the words for today's sign: tilt science toward justice. While science aspires toward objectivity, that the reality is that science, like so many other "objective" disciplines, is expensive, and often pay to play. A simple illustration? The multiplicity of medications for 'diseases of affluence', versus the consistent under-investment in innovative solutions for tropical diseases like dengue and malaria. Science is only as just as the social and political systems it sits within. #justtransition #peoplesclimatemarch #Pcm #climatemarchsigns #whyimarch

A post shared by ZeroWasteFail (@zerowastefail) on Apr 10, 2017 at 10:23pm PDT

Day 4 of 14 brainstorming signs for the #marchforscience in D.C. & cities across the U.S. Today's theme: sometimes high-tech science points toward low-tech solutions. Rather than waiting for science to save us, we should listen when it points us to solutions we already have. The #ITHIM model tells us that we can meet our climate goals and substantially move the dial on diseases of physical inactivity by shifting transportation towards #walking and #biking instead of driving. Shade trees and #greenroofs deflect the sun's energy, reducing urban heat island effect and making our streets more pleasant for walking and biking. Many of our solutions are already at hand, and we need the social IQ to implement them. #lowtech #peoplesclimatemarch #Pcm #climatemarchsigns #whyimarch

A post shared by ZeroWasteFail (@zerowastefail) on Apr 11, 2017 at 10:53pm PDT

Day 5 of 14 brainstorming signs for the #marchforscience in D.C. & cities across the U.S. Today's theme: Science and faith are not mutually exclusive, we're gonna need a lot of both to ride this one out. Inspired by my grandfather, a physician and innovator of nuclear medicine whose faith brought humanism to his work. #whyimarch

A post shared by ZeroWasteFail (@zerowastefail) on Apr 12, 2017 at 11:42pm PDT

Day 6 of 14 brainstorming signs for the #marchforscience in D.C. & cities across the U.S. Today we're getting a little more political with "Red States Need Science Too" for the front of the sign, and "Science Makes America Great" for the back side of the sign. Here in California we benefit from state-funded research into the likely impacts of #climatechange. You can even find downscaled models of these impacts on a live map: at CalAdapt. This data can in then inform climate resilience in planning and infrastructure investments while motivating climate mitigation action. We need something like CalAdapt in all 50 states #beforetheflood catches us unawares. #whyimarch #sciencemarchsigns #peoplesclimatemarch

A post shared by ZeroWasteFail (@zerowastefail) on Apr 13, 2017 at 10:39pm PDT

Day 8 (skipped 7!) of 14 brainstorming signs for the #marchforscience #sciencemarch, taking place NEXT SATURDAY 4/22 in DC and cities across the US. The need to march is largely a response to #45's defunding of science and research since coming to office, especially anything that undermines the fossil-fuel industry's ability to pollute with impunity. Without state funding, science must seek private investment. Science for profit is not the same as science in the service of the public good. Truth should not be for hire.

A post shared by ZeroWasteFail (@zerowastefail) on Apr 15, 2017 at 8:53pm PDT

Day 9 of 14 brainstorming signs for the #marchforscience #sciencemarch. Getting braver with today's theme: we need to talk about climate engineering. Climate engineering involves interventions designed to artificially cool earth's atmosphere, such as the dispersal of particulates or vapor into the upper atmosphere. Some of these interventions are affordable enough that they could be undertaken by lone governments. While the idea sounds good–stalling for time while we organize to reduce climate pollutants, the complexity of climate and the over-leveraged reality of 7 billion residents on earth make it likely that we could see severe unintended consequences from these actions. We need to talk about risks, benefits, international regulation and what we might do instead (hint: Paris Agreement commitments and more) before this turns into a debacle. #peoplesclimatemarch #climateengineering #ethicalscience #climateaction

A post shared by ZeroWasteFail (@zerowastefail) on Apr 16, 2017 at 11:01pm PDT

A happy repost from @sciencemarchdc for day 9 of 14 brainstorming signs for the #marchforscience #sciencemarch. Not sure who thought to get #mrsfrizzle gussied up as lady liberty, but props to whoever did this homage to our favorite #scienceteacher. We re-read our #magicschoolbus books constantly around here– a perfect blend of imagination and #scienceliteracy with some fact-checking at the end. It was books like this–specifically #itsyourenvironment that got me started on caring about our public and planetary health. Thank you to inspiring children's book writers and illustrators everywhere.

A post shared by ZeroWasteFail (@zerowastefail) on Apr 17, 2017 at 10:11pm PDT

Day 10 of 14 Brainstorming Signs for the #MarchForScience, #ScienceMarch. Today's theme: public funding for sustainable science. A number of the most important scientific research projects are currently under threat. When agencies like the #EPA experience funding cuts, it undermines policy that might help us protect our public and global health. Decisions like Pruitt's to ignore science that demonstrates harm does not bode well for scientific investments in the future. At the same time, increased funding is being directed to the military-industrial complex. R&D for violence is neither sustainable nor in the public interest, and is primarily a 'give' to private military contractors. Science in the hands of an authoritarian state is dangerous.

A post shared by ZeroWasteFail (@zerowastefail) on Apr 18, 2017 at 11:29pm PDT

Day 11 of 14 brainstorming signs for the #MarchForScience #ScienceMarch and day 18 of 28 brainstorming signs for the #PeoplesClimateMarch. Taking a little breather today to promote both events. I went out with a sign promoting the marches yesterday at lunchtime and walked around the insanely busy intersection near my house in Los Angeles for 45 minutes. As I waited to cross at each street corner, I started asking people "So, are you going to be marching this Saturday, or are you going to be marching next Saturday?" Assuming people cared, and wanted to be engaged turned out to be an effective tactic. My fellow lunch breakers and I had quite a number of of substantive discussions about the Administration's approach to both science and climate change as I walked around in a the intersection 10 times. I'm going to say that getting out there and talking with neighbors and strangers about these issues was one of the more faith-giving experiences I've had of late. #WeDoCare #YesWeCan #JustTransition. #whyImarch

A post shared by ZeroWasteFail (@zerowastefail) on Apr 19, 2017 at 11:57pm PDT

Day 13 of 14 brainstorming signs for the #MarchForScience #ScienceMarch. Special thanks to @colortheheart for 'Women's Health" coloring page that is a background for today's topic: Let's give women access to family planning, and control our population the humane way! Why? The 'au natural' way of population control (overpopulation > resource shortage > violence > starvation > genocide) isn't so great. When women are given the tools to elect their own family size, they choose fewer children, and match the numbers of children to the resources they believe will be available. Reproductive choice is one of science's greatest gifts, and one of the most powerful tools we have to balance human life on earth. Let's make it work! #makeitwork #reproductivechoice #peoplesclimatemarch #climatemarch #whyimarch #globalgagrule #globalgagrulesucks

A post shared by ZeroWasteFail (@zerowastefail) on Apr 20, 2017 at 10:42pm PDT