Around 200 students gathered on Buntrock Plaza at 10 a.m. on Friday, March 5 to participate in a “Die In” organized by St. Olaf’s Climate Justice Collective (CJC) to protest the construction of the Enbridge Line 3 pipeline.
Students laid on the pavement for 1097 seconds — just over 18 minutes — with each second representing one mile of the proposed pipeline that, if completed, will stretch from northern Alberta, Canada to Superior, Wis.
The event was part of St. Olaf’s participation in a larger day of action across Minnesota and parts of Canada to protest construction of the Line 3 pipeline. CJC members displayed banners reading “Every Pipelines Has a Body Count” and “1097 Seconds, 1097 Miles #DefundLine3” over Buntrock Plaza.
Another banner reading “Defund Climate Genocide” appeared over the recently constructed informational board about the Ole Avenue Project between Holland Hall and Rolvaag Memorial Library.
CJC members Abby Becker ’21, Isaac Nelson ’21 and Andrea Burton ’21 spoke to students prior to the die-in on the goals of the larger day of action while discussing movements headed by CJC to encourage College divestment from the fossil fuel industry.
Sunrise Carleton and Divest Carleton, two student organizations at Carleton College active in demonstrations against Line 3 and against Carleton’s investment in the fossil fuel industry, joined in the day of action, protesting the pipeline and encouraging divestment by occupying trees outside the home of Carleton president Steven Poskanzer.
Instagram stories shared by @climatejusticecollective and @sunrisecarleton proclaimed the solidarity between the two organizations and @carletondivest.
Northfield Against Line 3 and Resist Line 3, two organizations working in the broader community to prevent the pipeline’s construction, also shared their solidarity with CJC’s efforts via their own Instagram accounts, @nfld.against.line.three and @resist_line_3.
There will be a statewide virtual rally held March 5 at 3 p.m. as part of the day of action.
The Messenger’s coverage of actions against Line 3 and toward College divestment is ongoing.
Reporting by Lydia Bermel, News Editor & Jacob Maranda, Executive Editor
This article was updated on March 8 to correct the name of the Instagram account for Carleton College’s divestment student organization, @carletondivest.
