The message from Sarasota was loud and clear ? ?Step It Up Congress, Cut Carbon 80% by 2050? - and it rang out from locations across the city. Our actions started 2 weeks ago when concerned citizens demonstrated potential sea level rise at Siesta Key Beach. We continued on April 14th with a packed room for the Climate Project presentation by Bev Templeton, an information booth at an early Earth Day celebration where we were visited by county commissioner Jon Thaxton, a circle dance with help from North Port middle school students performing their environmental play ?Trash?, students dressed in snorkeling gear at the Farmer?s Market to demonstrate the potential impact of sea level rise to the downtown area, and a critical mass bike ride from the New College campus to downtown. Our actions here were bolstered by recent climate action at the local government level. Last week, Sarasota city commissioners voted to sign the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement with some prodding from citizens and the Sarasota Network for Climate Action. This week Sarasota County commissioners proclaimed April 14th to be ?Step It Up? day across the county. The momentum for action is building and we in Sarasota County look forward to continuing the effort beyond April 14th! First up ? Oscar Scherer Earth Day ? April 22 ? come out and show your support!!