The Global Climate Strike entreaties us all to walk out of our workplaces or homes and join school strikers on the streets to demand an end of fossil fuels. As a retired educator and senior citizen, I plan to attend.
Greta Thunberg was a 15-year-old Swedish student when she began Friday school strikes demanding persons in power take on the task of making meaningful changes to stop the out-of-control carbon emissions destroying our planet. Thunberg has said: “Our house is on fire.”
Since she asked us to act to quell that fire, Friday strikes have increased exponentially throughout the world, with thousands of young people demanding action. That crusade has morphed into a worldwide week of action Sept. 20-27 to demand climate justice.
Now the young people are asking adults to participate.
Eugene’s Global Climate Strike Kickoff Rally is Sept. 20, with additional events occurring throughout the week. An unprecedented coalition of groups from all ages and backgrounds has worked on the events. We all must place ourselves in the streets, disrupting our daily lives, particularly on Sept. 20.
If we all did this, our elected officials would be forced to end their support of the fossil fuel industry and their complicity in the warming of the globe.
As Thunberg has said, “If not you, then who? If not now, then when?”
Schedules are available by searching globalclimatestrike.net.
Martha Dragovich
Eugene
A Note From the Publisher
Dear Readers,
The last two years have been some of the hardest in Eugene Weekly’s 43 years. There were moments when keeping the paper alive felt uncertain. And yet, here we are — still publishing, still investigating, still showing up every week.
That’s because of you!
Not just because of financial support (though that matters enormously), but because of the emails, notes, conversations, encouragement and ideas you shared along the way. You reminded us why this paper exists and who it’s for.
Listening to readers has always been at the heart of Eugene Weekly. This year, that meant launching our popular weekly Activist Alert column, after many of you told us there was no single, reliable place to find information about rallies, meetings and ways to get involved. You asked. We responded.
We’ve also continued to deepen the coverage that sets Eugene Weekly apart, including our in-depth reporting on local real estate development through Bricks & Mortar — digging into what’s being built, who’s behind it and how those decisions shape our community.
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None of this happens by accident. It happens because readers step up and say: this matters.
As we head into a new year, please consider supporting Eugene Weekly if you’re able. Every dollar helps keep us digging, questioning, celebrating — and yes, occasionally annoying exactly the right people. We consider that a public service.
Thank you for standing with us!
Publisher
Eugene Weekly
P.S. If you’d like to talk about supporting EW, I’d love to hear from you!
jody@eugeneweekly.com
(541) 484-0519
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