Youth lead the way for climate strike

By Catherine Engstrom-Hadley
Staff Writer

Today, people from all over Washtenaw County joined thousands of strikers across the globe to demand action on climate justice.

“The global strike movement is the youth’s way of saying we’ve had enough” said Naina Agrawal-Hardin, a high-school organizer for the Washtenaw County Strike Coalition.

Youth organizers hosted a short rally followed by a series of workshops based on the Climate Strike Coalition’s five core demands at Ingalls Mall on University of Michigan’s central campus.

The strikers have five different demands they hope to put in the spotlight on a local and national level: Biodiversity, environmental justice, indigenous land tenure, sustainable agriculture, and a green economy. The Washtenaw County Strike Coalition pushes for both local and national reform.

“There is no one-size-fits-all solution to the climate crisis and we are always looking for local things to focus on and draw attention to,” said Agrawal-Hardin. “University of Michigan needs to divest from fossil fuels; the University of California just divested, so it’s possible, and not only is it possible, it’s economical.”

The strike begins three days before the U.N. Climate Summit in hopes to put pressure on policymakers and politicians to help combat climate change. It’s not just the kids who are striking either: over 200 local businesses joined strikers by closing for one hour or donating a portion of proceeds to climate justice work, including Zingerman’s and Argus Farm Stop.

In a LinkedIn post, Patagonia’s CEO Rose Marcario said: “We face dangerously hot and fast-changing climate that is exacerbating natural disasters, causing food and water shortages and speeding us towards the biggest economic catastrophe in history. The plain truth is that capitalism needs to evolve if humanity is going to survive.”

Patagonia’s online and physical stores will be closed for the day. They won’t be the only ones closing up for the strike: Burton, LUSH cosmetics, Ben and Jerry’s, Etsy, Opening Ceremony, Tumblr and many more will join them.

If you want to get involved, reach out at actonclimate.net or find them on social media @ClimateStrikeWC.

“The strike coalition as a whole has many different organizations represented and we would be happy to connect people with ones that suit their needs,” said Agrawal-Hardin.

There is no age limit for who can join.

“Our movement is youth lead, but we need and want older people to participate,” said Agrawal-Hardin.

If you missed the strike this time, more are to come.

“There is one in November or December and then one on Earth Day early next year,” Agrawal-Hardin said.

Visit actionclimate.net for more information on exact dates and times as they come.

For a compilation of our live tweets from the strike, visit @washtenawvoice.

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