The global Climate Strike, set for this Friday, Sept. 20 in advance of the UN Climate Summit in New York City, will be making its way from Wellesley schools to town hall. The goal of the strike is to encourage government and other leaders to take action against the use of fossil fuels and other causes of climate change.
Vaani Kapoor, a freshman at Wellesley High School, has been spearheading local efforts.
“When I heard about the climate strike I was inspired to help out!” she says. Participants are “meeting at the town hall to get the attention of powerful people, asking them to pay attention to climate change.”
While WHS students won’t actually be busting out of school that day, they will be rallying at 3:30pm at town hall, with release forms available to students who choose to participate in the event instead of usual after-school activities that day.
Kapoor was granted permission by the WHS administration to play videos during lunch and make mention of the strike during weekly announcements. She’s also planning to hand out flyers and athletic release forms on Thursday and Friday mornings before school starts.
“The timing interferes with sports, but there are athletic release forms provided, and every good cause requires some sacrifice,” she says.
Kapoor, leader of an organization called Project Plastic USA that coordinates plastic pick-ups and encourages people to reduce their use of plastics, has also been coordinating with Wellesley College students Maddie Lee and Jess Ostfeld, who are also organizing for the Climate Strike. Kapoor also cites support from the Sustainable Wellesley group.
Students in major cities such as Boston and New York have been granted permission (if their parents allow) to take part in the strike without repercussions from the schools.
The Wellesley Club
