Demonstrators rally in front of a Wells Fargo bank on the 3.21.23 Day of Action. (Courtesy Th!rd Act)

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March 21, 2023, was a stormy, windy day in Los Angeles. It will be remembered by many of our local seniors as a special day—one on which the four most powerful banks financing the fossil fuel industry were confronted. About eighty hardy folks, including some of our LWV-PA members, braved the inclement weather to stage a 3.21.23 Day of Action in Beverly Hills and then march to the four “dirty banks”—Bank of America, Citibank, Wells Fargo, and Chase—in order to “connect the dots between cash and carbon” (as organizer Bill McKibben put it). A small delegation was assigned to enter each of the banks to inform the manager that they would cut up their credit cards and withdraw their cash if the bank continued to fund the fossil fuel industry.

This local march was part of a national Day of Action organized by Th!rd Act, an organization founded by McKibben to enlist people over 65 years of age in the fight to combat the most lethal effects of climate change. Fifty-three other national groups supported the action, including Sierra Club, Greenpeace, and Elders for Climate Action. On March 21, 102 demonstrations took place in thirty states and the District of Columbia. Retired members from over thirty international unions came, calling for an end to investment in fossil fuels and for redirecting funds to “projects that will build renewable energy infrastructure and meet other needs of our communities. …” Th!rd Act wants to bring its members’ experience and skills to the struggle around the two great existential issues of our time: democracy and climate change.

While the day was inspiring and promoted a strong sense of community among the participants, the task ahead is daunting. We look forward to the next steps that Th!rd Act is planning as the struggle continues to save the planet for ourselves and the generations to come. If you wish to learn more—including how to calculate your bank’s carbon emissions—visit Th!rd Act’s Resources page.

—Kitty Kroger