Protesters of the Keystone XL pipeline, a proposed pipeline that would carry tar sands oil from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico, lined up at the intersection of Lincoln Way and Welch Avenue on Saturday, Sept. 21.

Tar sands oil consists of crude oil mixed with sand, clay and bitumen, a material used for road and roof surfacing.

Approximately 30 people turned out for the “Draw the Line” rally, and about a third of them were students.

“It was interesting that the rally participants were either young [children], college [students] or older retired people,” said Terry Lowman, a member of A Mid-Iowa Organizing Strategy. “One of the issues with climate change is that it is gradual enough that it’s difficult for one to personally see how things are changing.”

Yet some older people can tell there’s something different. Look at the photos of the North Pole over the last 40 years. It’s visibly different.

An environmental and social justice group on campus called ActivUs participated in the event along with AMOS and Ames community members.

AMOS and ActivUs were in charge of organizing the rally on campus; they filled out a 350.org event planner, a website dedicated to climate crisis activism that began the “Draw the Line” campaign, and reached out to those who might be interested in the event.

AMOS focused on the off-campus community, while ActivUs focused on recruiting students for the event.

Emails were sent to those involved with ActivUs, the graduate program in sustainable agriculture and Live Green.

“I was impressed by the turnout,” said Rivka Fidel, president of ActivUs. “We had more people come [to the rally] than sign up online.”

The Draw the Line rally is a national event. Six protest rallies were held in Iowa and many environmental activist organizations such as Better Future Project, The Climate Reality Project, Energy Action Coalition and Friends of the Earth were participants in “drawing the line” across the country.

Participants at the Iowa State rally held signs made the previous Thursday in Sloss House.

The signs each contained a line; when the protesters stood together, they’d connect their lines and literally “draw the line” in protest against the pipeline, asking President Barack Obama to reject it.

Some of the signs had slogans like “Pipelines Always Spill,” “Jobs for Clean Energy, Not For Dirty Oil,” “KXL Equals Xtra Bad” and “Climate Justice.”

“President Obama said he would not approve the Keystone XL pipeline if it would significantly impact the climate, but he still has not rejected it outright,” Fidel said in ISU’s ‘Draw the Line’ press release. “Research shows that burning the tar sands oil will result in 0.7 degrees Fahrenheit (0.4 degrees Celsius) of warming. So the science is clear. It’s time for Obama to draw the line on KXL and say ‘no.’”

The protesters caught the eyes of some onlookers.

“Occasionally someone would come along and ask a question, at which point a few of us would break off to start a more serious discussion,” Fidel said. “We were surprised that some passerby did not know what the Keystone XL pipeline was.”

Participants in the hour-long event also shared their demonstration through social media. ActivUs members took pictures and made posts on their Facebook page, bringing in approximately 50 page views.

Opposition for the Keystone XL pipeline concurs with most of what was voiced at Saturday’s rally. Those opposed are mainly concerned with climate change as the result of burning oil and its greenhouse gas emissions and the potential for environmental disasters with a pipeline running straight through the United States.

Those encouraging the pipeline’s construction are arguing it will, according to Keystone XL Pipeline website, “bring essential infrastructure to North American oil producers… provide jobs, long-term energy independence and an economic boost to Americans.”

Iowa State’s ActivUs group plans to participate in a 350.org fossil fuel divestment campaign called “Fossil Free” in the future, continuing with their endeavors to halt climate change.

“ISU represents education, especially scientific education, and it is scientific knowledge that proves climate change is happening,” Fidel said. “We must act to mitigate it immediately.”