Long Beach State environmental activist groups protested at the Target department store on Bellflower Boulevard for its contribution to climate change through overseas shipping during Earth Day.
Danny’all Heydari, president of SHIP IT ZERO organized the march to advocate for large corporations to practice healthier, climate-friendly alternatives instead of involving fossil fuels.
“Target needs to abandon dirty ships this decade and transition to zero-emissions technologies,” Heydari said.
Heydari advocated for cargo ships to use Green Hydrogen Electrolyzer, which can separate hydrogen and oxygen from water to create fuel.
“A study by the International Council on Clean Transportation in 2020, shows that existing ships can be retrofitted with hydrogen and fuel cells with only minor changes to their capacity,” Heydari said.
Jaden Murree, co-chair of the Climate Action Team and a fourth-year aerospace engineering student at CSULB said the personal impact pollution had on her when she moved to Long Beach.
“I moved to Long Beach back in 2018, and I remember going to the ocean with some friends. They brought up that they weren’t going to swim, because they didn’t trust that the water was clean, and this was new to me,” Murree said.
Approximately 50 demonstrators marched from Whaley Park to Target, including Linda Banez, 81, a Long Beach senior citizen who wanted to support the effort against climate change because her “generation contributed to the issue.”
“I know it’s not going to be my headache for much longer, but I thought I could do something that helps alleviate it a little bit,” Banez said. “And it’s so great for me to be around energetic, young people, so it’s all a plus for me.”
Target employees were unable to comment on the demonstration.
