Thousands of signs filled the St. Paul streets on Friday during the Minnesota Youth Climate Strike's third National Strike; however, one group marching towards the Minnesota State Capitol carried something a little different.
Related: Minnesota Youth Climate Strike draws thousands
Ulla Nilsen's group proudly marched a 350 piece Solutions Quilt, which stands 8 feet high and 15 feet wide. Nilsen began the quilt around 2008 when her son one a year old and she was about to give birth to a daughter.
"I learned about climate change and really understood it for the first time," the Oakland native said. "I was terrified and felt like I needed to go out and talk to people about it. It was a time where not a lot of people were talking about climate change yet."
As she learned more about the melting ice caps, rising seas, and overall threat of Climate Change, Nilsen felt inspired to start the quilt as a way to talk with people about her fears.
"At the time, I was out there saying 'Our house is on fire' and no one really wanted to hear that," she said. "It was a hard thing for people to hear, so I thought 'Why don't we talk about solutions?' so I began the Solutions Quilt."
Nilsen hauled craft supplies to parks and farmers markets for people to make squares offering solutions to reduce negative impacts on the environment in an attempt to curb Climate Change.
"I took the quilt out to Washington D.C. and tried to give it to president Obama as a gift," she said with a laugh. "He was much too busy to pay any attention to me, but I did get on television and in the paper. It really was just a way to start talking to people."
A list of about 50 people who contributed to the 350 piece quilt is attached to the back as a way to remember those who took the time to offer solutions to Climate Change.
And if you're wondering, there is a reason behind the number 350: The number represents the 350 parts per million of carbon dioxide that scientists deem safe for the Earth.
Related: WCCO Editorial: The UN Report on Climate is another reason we must change
Nilsen was proud to be in St. Paul on Friday along with her kids and some friends for the Youth Climate Strike.
"More and more people arre waking up and understanding that we need to act immediately," she said. "10 years ago a lot of people wouldn't have come to an event like this and seeing the crowd in St. Paul makes me really happy."
