New Milford High grad hiking across U.S. for climate action
NEW MILFORD — A former resident is hiking solo across the United States to raise money and awareness for climate action.
Hannah Bacon, 27, began her trek Nov. 21 at 4:15 a.m. She packed up camp at San Clemente State Beach in California, walked down to the beach and stepped barefoot into the Pacific Ocean.
As of this week, Bacon has walked more than 300 miles over Southern California’s mountain ranges and across the Mojave Desert to reach Arizona and take a rest at the Colorado River.
Along the way, Bacon has picked up followers, supporters, and helpers on the long stretches of roads through America.
“We need immediate, systemic changes to move towards renewable energy, provide green jobs, and prepare our communities for an increase in climate disasters,” Bacon, a 2011 graduate of New Milford High School who now resides in Santa Cruz, said in a news release Dec. 11.
Bacon read David Wallace-Wells’ “The Uninhabitable Earth” on her recent flight from New York to California. While reading it, she said she was struck by her own carbon footprint, having flown back and forth between Connecticut, where she visited family, and California over the past five years.
“As I hiked in the redwoods, I considered this year’s record-breaking wildfires that ravaged Santa Cruz County and the west, the people who were forced to leave their homes, and the communities experiencing loss from climate-related disasters around the world,” the 2015 UConn grad said in the release. “... I imagined the impact of my frivolous cross-country travels over the past five years, and felt certain of my decision to walk.”
With the support and help of friends, Bacon spent a month planning her journey, plotting her route to the Atlantic and created Miles for Change, a personal blog and a platform she is using to raise awareness and funds for climate action.
Since the launch of www.milesforclimate.org in November, Bacon has raised over $8,000 of the $10,000 goal through her GoFundMe account to support www.SunriseMovement.org, which is a 100 percent youthled organization mobilizing climate activists nationwide with over 400 local hubs in towns across America.
For information, email milesforclimate@gmail.com