This past weekend a group of concerned mothers from the Seattle area took their message to the top of the most glaciated mountain in the lower 48 states – Mount Rainier.

Calling themselves Climb Against Coal - these self-proclaimed Mountain Momma’s summited the 14,411 feet of the mountain in support of the Coal Free Washington campaign.

Their goal was to raise awareness about the need to end our reliance on coal, and specifically to call for the closure of Washington State’s only remaining coal-fired power plant in Centralia, operated by Transalta. This power plant is the single largest source of global warming pollution in the state, and a major cause of respiratory diseases and premature deaths.

As the summit team was coming back down the mountain,  a support team laid out a nearly 75,000 square foot “No Coal” banner on the Inner Glacier – which is believed to be the largest banner in the history of the movement! The banner was viewable from nearby peaks nearly a mile away from the Glacier.  The nearly 2-acre banner took 15 volunteers all morning to layout, using several thousand feet of landscaping fabric.

Climb Against Coal

Back down below on solid land, friends and families of the climbers gathered to show their support. Dozens of parents, children, grandparents, and friends cheered on the climbers and the banner, and helped educate passing hikers and climbers to these important issues.

To learn more about the campaign – visit www.ClimbAgainstCoal.org

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