Climate Heroes: March
These back-to-school boots were made for walking — to protect our children’s future! Climate Strikes are coming, and we need you!
Hello Playground Friend! Happy (almost) autumn! And happy back-to-school to all celebrating / trying to survive / this year!
My five-year-old waltzed into her first few hours of kindergarten like a pro. Her mother, on the other hand, is struggling to hold it all together. New school, new people, new policies, and a mind-bending “gentle” transition schedule. Deep breaths, give it time …
But today, let’s dive into the third installment of our How To Be A Climate Hero series.
This one is all about why you and your family are welcome — and so very needed — at this year’s Global Climate Strikes.
For those not yet in the know, large-scale modern-day climate demonstrations gained popularity in 2018, inspired by then-16-year-old girl Greta Thunberg, who walked out of class every Friday to picket outside the Swedish Parliament building, demanding action to curb climate change. Young people and supporters of all ages around the world took notice and began walking out of school and work en masse, too, to demand climate action from their own governments.
I’ll admit: I heard Greta’s story back then, thought it was great, then moved along. I had just moved to Argentina, could barely speak Spanish and was pregnant for the first time. So yeah, I was a bit distracted.
Until last summer.
2023. Canada’s worst wildfire fire season on record. It didn’t just throw me for a loop. It plunged me deep down the depths of climate despair.
Watching out-of-control forest fires engulf homes and habitats, and hearing the plights of evacuees, in what felt like real time. Canceling summer travel plans and refusing to leave the city for fear that anywhere we went would ultimately lead to fleeing flames or a resulting landslide. Seeing how a blanket of smoke had choked the United State’s east coast and wafted clear overseas to Europe. Canceling fully paid summer camps, and locking a four-year-old and two-year-old indoors with me for day-long stretches to avoid inhaling toxic smoke ourselves.
[🔥 I actually scored the chance to discuss my experience parenting during this chaotic summer for an award-winning environmental publication in my region. You can read it here on The Narwhal: Being a parent is my most important job — caring about wildfires and climate change is part of that 🔥]
But, in brief: Bringing my four-year-old to the 2023 Vancouver Climate Strike rescued me from a climate doom spiral.
The day before, I surrendered to tears while painting my hope for a better future on scavenged cardboard, releasing a season’s worth of pent up stress and anxiety.
On the day, my four-year-old and I marched hand-in-hand, both of our heads on a swivel, soaking in the sights and sounds of thousands of determined people marching, chanting, fighting for positive change.
We both quickly learned the chants and mustered the courage to raise our voices, too.
When we finally reached the culminating rally, we ate popsicles and watched intently as seasoned climate advocates and activists spoke, sang and danced; explained why fighting climate change is so important to their diverse communities; and urged us all to keep up the fight for a clean, safe environment with people we love in our own unique ways.
To be honest: I attended that march skittishly, with our signs initially hidden in a bag and a sliver of hope that I’d learn a thing or two about climate change.
But I left empowered.
The passion, the urgency, the fear, the optimism. It sent me home on a mission to learn more and find a way to join the fight for a better future — for my kids and for all kids.
The more I continue to learn, the more I understand that pressure from everyday people like you and me is needed in the fight to keep our climate livable. But just like me and my kiddo last year, you don’t have to understand every little detail about climate science or government policy to speak up.
If you’re here in Vancouver, B.C., please consider joining me and my family at the family friendly Vancouver Climate Strike on Friday, September 20. Hit reply on this email or comment below, and I’ll loop you into where we can meet and how to prep. Or, forward this to a few good friends and make a plan to meet up and march together!
If you’re based elsewhere, please pop ‘Global Climate Strike + your city’ in your search bar, and see what comes up. With the United Nations Summit for the Future and Climate Week happening in New York City that very week, climate demonstrations are expected to spread around the world.
Your boots, your voice, your homemade sign, and your loved ones of all ages are welcome — and needed — wherever you are.
Vancouver Climate Strike: September 20, 2024
Register on Eventbrite for logistical updates and future communications
Learn more about the strike and family-led climate action year-round on the For Our Kids website
Share the Facebook event listing with your favorite people
If you enjoy shouting on social media, feel free to share any of the promotional content here
