Text and photos courtesy of Megan Snook
Children from all over Bloomington, walked out of school on Friday September 20th as part of the School Strike for Climate movement. Gathering in Dunn Meadow the strikers heard from an array of speakers, all of whom stressed the importance of taking immediate action in addressing climate change. The children, IU students and hundreds of Bloomington residents then marched through campus and down Kirkwood. Organizers and parents coordinated a snack and water break in People’s Park before continuing the march.
The strikers then continued the march through downtown Bloomington, blocking Kirkwood avenue. The march then took over the B-line trail and headed for the final destination, Mayor Hamilton’s office. The crowd packed the Showers building and presented Mayor Hamilton with a list of demands which asked the city of Bloomington to take climate change seriously. The demands were: Commit to reduce citywide greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2040, Develop a concrete plan to get citywide emissions to NetZero by 2040, get the city of Bloomington to 60% tree coverage, and to expand funding for sustainable housing, transit and the local food economy. Mayor Hamilton received the strikers graciously but made no promise to meet the demands.
(Courtesy photo by Megan Snook)
