An Urgent Call to Action: #StandWithGreta

08.22.2019

An urgent Call to Action: #StandWithGreta

By Tom Jacobs, AIA, Co-Founder Architects Advocate for Action on Climate Change

A 16-year-old has succeeded where we adults have not.

On August 20, 2018, Greta Thunberg walked out of her Stockholm school and stood in front of the Swedish Parliament building with a sign that read “School Strike for Climate.” Her plea was simple: climate justice and a living planet.

Few took notice at first. But she did it again the next week.

And the next.

Today, Greta is joined by tens of thousands of teenage leaders around the world who walk out of their classrooms on Fridays to demand decisive action on the climate breakdown.

Their approach is working. In July this year, German Chancellor Angela Merkel credited Greta for driving her government to act faster on climate change. The same can and must happen here.

The world’s youth have called on us adults to join them in a Global Climate Strike on September 20, coincident with a week of events surrounding the UN Climate Action Summit in New York.

At Architects Advocate, we believe the demands of the striking youth are not only reasonable, but that they resonate with our professional interests and commitments. That’s why we launched the #StandWithGreta campaign in support of their movement. In Chicago, we will meet at 11:30am on September 20 at Federal Plaza to participate. Other cities around the country organized to do the same.

Several Chicago firms pledged to #StandWithGreta by encouraging their staff to take a stand on September 20. Early adopters included Architecture is Fun, Harboe Architects, Jurassic Studio, Krueck+Sexton, and Kuklinski+Rappe. All supporting firms understand the need for a “Chicago Community of Practice” – a next generation idea of critical inter-company collaboration advocated by Doug Farr – that rises to the enormity of the challenge we face. Chicago architects, once again, are setting the example for other cities to follow.

Architects, please join us in standing up for the next generation by supporting the true leaders of our time. Learn more and sign a pledge to #StandWithGreta at architects-advocate.com.