Header Foto: "Fridays for Future 25.01.2018 Berlin" by fridaysforfuture
Have you ever striked? No? Well maybe it's time.
On the 20th of September it's the Global Climate Strike. An opportunity to join the Fridays for Future movement, started by Greta Thunberg, and other activist groups. Show some solidarity with (y)our children and young people – those who are likely to bear the consequences of climate change the most heavily. Show politicians that voters really care about this issue. Be an inspiration for your colleagues and friends, and work with your managers to figure out what your company can do to contribute to a more positive future.
Of course it is not possible for everybody to strike, and we don't expect you to risk your livelihood for it. But if you have the possibility for any kind of action at your workplace, then why not take it.
- If not you then who?
- If not now then when?
Here are five ideas, tips and tools to get you started.
- Join the strike! Find your nearest strike or start your own!
- Need some help spreading the word? You'll find texts, images and videos here to spread!
- Want to take it slower? Organise a lunchtime event. Invite an expert on climate change...
- ... or use the opportunity to discuss with your colleagues and management how you can make your company more sustainable.
- Organise a donation drive and see how many trees your company can plant in one day. Why not ask your company to match the donations. Plant for the Planet would be a great organisation for that!
Download this sign and add it to your out-of-office note on the 20th September
Source: Global Climate Strike
Convince Your Boss
If you're struggling to get started, here's a draft email that you can use to send to your manager:
Dear [boss], you may be aware that on 20th September, there is a global climate strike taking place, in support of the Fridays for Future movement, started by Greta Thunberg. Considering that time is now drastically short to prevent irreversible damage to the environment, it seems appropriate that we all start to take some radical action. I would like to propose that we are allowed to join these marches and are given time off from work to do so. Two to three hours would be enough, for us to join the march or start our own. During this time, we can raise awareness for the strike on social media, and promote our company's commitment to tackling climate change. If this seems too much of a commitment, I have some other ideas. We can organise a lunchtime event. Perhaps we can invite somebody to talk to the team, who is an expert on climate change. We could also have a team meeting around how we, as a company, can reduce our emissions and work more sustainably. Alternatively, we could sign a letter to submit to Angela Merkel, urging her to take more action. Or we could do a one-for-one donation scheme for a tree-planting initiative, where the company matches every donation made by our employees. Plant for the planet is an excellent initiative in this regard. I hope you agree that this is a great opportunity to show our solidarity with the climate strike, and strongly believe that it could be a worthwhile and meaningful project for all of the company to be part of. I look forward to your response, [You]
So! No excuse. See you at the Global Climate Strike on 20th September!
