On this Earth Day 2017, numerous cities around the world held marches for science. The turnouts for each march were quite impressive, especially the Chicago Science March, which was estimated to have around 40,000 people, according to the Chicago Tribune.

The Chicago Science March had a few speakers who were scientists from the Chicago Field Museum as well as half-price basic admission to the museum, according to the Field Museum’s website. I also heard some drummers moving through the crowd that were playing along with the chants such as, “science not silence.”

Once I was able to move past the initial mass of people standing near the start of the march at Grant Park, at around ten in the morning, I was immediately drawn to the clever signs that were both dorky and informative. Some posters directly took jabs at White House officials, while others highlighted the importance of science. A few of my favorite signs included “Earth to Trump: climate change is real,” “resist ignorance,” “science is not a liberal plot,” and my personal favorite being “I’ve seen smarter cabinets at IKEA.”

Other than the posters, I was also interested in the unique attire worn by some of the people at the march. The most common outfit was some variation of lab coat, and some decided to decorate theirs with planets or test tubes. My favorite outfits were four people dressed as the four elements of the Earth: air, fire, wind and water.

What I most enjoyed seeing was how friendly everyone in the crowd was. People would politely go up and ask for pictures of their favorite signs, as though the sign creators were celebrities. It was a great experience to show all the young kids who were at the march what a peaceful gathering of people looks like and that one should never be afraid to stand up for what is right, or go after a good photo-op.

People were at the march for different reasons, but the biggest one showing the belief that science is always legitimate no matter what one believes. I think that was an important takeaway from the march in general; everyone can have different views and still come together in a respectful way. The entire rally left me with a good sense of good ol’ fashioned American democracy as well as a sunburn I cannot wait to take back to Kansas City.