Students and staff at Augustana College will join with thousands of others around the world on Friday when they hold a "campus climate strike." The strike is inspired by 16-year-old Greta Thunberg from Sweden, who has been leading school strikes in Europe for the past year demanding action on climate change from local and global leaders.
Augustana Student Organizer Hunter Ridley says they have two goals: to stand in solidarity with the message of the other climate strikes going on this week, and to encourage Augustana's administration to make sustainability a priority on campus.
"We'd like to see a drop in our greenhouse gas emissions. So, energy reduction, investing in renewables and switching to more renewable energy sources. We'd also really like to see a sustainability manager on campus so that a professional can work with students and the administration as part of their job to get sustainability working on campus as soon as we can."
She says many liberal arts colleges already have sustainability managers, and Augustana should follow suit.
The climate strike at Augustana College will begin at noon on Friday on the campus' Lower Quad. Nearby related events include a march in Iowa City at 3:00 p.m. and a climate strike in Bettendorf next Friday.