Rain, wind and cold Saturday didn't stop more than 60 people gathering near the Ball State University Shafer Tower and marching downtown against global warming.
The group included members of Students for a Sustainable Campus and Muncie residents who walked from the Shafer Tower to the front steps of the Delaware County Courthouse downtown.
Led by seniors Kelly Woodward and Nadia Roumie, the march was organized to begin a grassroots campaign against carbon emissions, Roumie, a wildlife biology major, said. Step It Up 2007, an organization aimed at raising public awareness about global warming, is asking Congress to cut carbon emissions by 80 percent by 2050, according to the group's Web site.
A total of 1,435 marches were planned nationwide Saturday. The organization received 1,546 reports of marches, but some might have been reported multiple times.
"We want to raise local awareness and encourage dialogue in Congress," Woodward said, as the group moved down McKinley Avenue and onto University Avenue. "[The weather] didn't seem to stop people concerned about our cause. It's a little cold for April, but people seem excited."
After a brief pass through the Village, the group turned onto Dicks Street and headed east over the White River on Jackson Street as passing cars honked and waved at the marchers. A few people joined the march late, and many wore denim jeans and light coats. The ones who had been marching from the start huddled up, tucked their hands in pockets and turned their faces away from the wind.
"Yeah, it's really something out here," fifth-year senior Ben Ross, a biology major, said.
Temperatures reached as low as 38 degrees in Muncie around 2 p.m., according to the National Weather Service, but the march, and the rain, continued.
Representatives from Step It Up 2007 gave marchers petitions and sign-up sheets once they reached the courthouse. Marchers also provided homemade cookies.
After the crowd dissipated, an officer walked across the street to check on things at the unmonitored courthouse.
"Non-violence?" he said. "This is what America is all about. More power to 'em."
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