February 11th, 2013

Stand against Nestlé Day of Action a success!

Check out our Day of Action photos on Facebook.

On the afternoon of Friday, February 8th nearly 200 Oregonians put on their finest red clothing and joined Bark and the Keep Nestlé Out of the Gorge Coalition in Lower Macleay Park to take a stand against Nestlé’s grab at public water resources in the Columbia River Gorge. After laying giant letters across the soggy grass to spell the word ‘Nestlé,’ the crowd came together to create a red circle around it. Then a line of people situated themselves across the circle, creating a clear message: “No Nestle!” Photographers were stationed on the bridge above the park to capture the image of this one of a kind, 60 foot diameter anti-Nestlé symbol.

The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, a state agency, is responsible for pushing the permits Nestlé needs to establish its proposed bottling plant in the Columbia River Gorge, and Friday’s community action serves as a powerful message to state decision makers that the public is NOT in support of giving public, Mt. Hood water to Nestlé. Plus, we had a blast, and took some really amazing photos!

In addition to this ‘aerial art mob’ action in the park, Friday’s Day of Action also saw dozens brave the morning cold to hold signs along the Hawthorne Bridge and raise awareness among morning commuters, and hundreds of you sent messages to your legislators and the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife to explain your opposition to Nestlé’s proposal.

Thank you to the Portland Raging Grannies for providing us with musical entertainment, Kelli Pennington for her photography, and everyone who helped out by spreading the word, calling the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, holding signs on the bridge, bringing red clothing to share, or just taking the time out of your busy day to show up! You rock!


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