High school students across Guelph plan to walk out demanding climate action from the municipal government.
The strike organized by a group called Youth Climate Strike will see students leave school onFriday, Feb. 7, and gather in front of city hall at noon to demand action around urban planning, energy, transportation, local businesses, water conservation and waste management.
Youth Climate Strike says it aims to create change on a local level in order to generate global change.
It asks that the City of Guelph declare a climate emergency and be transparent with all their environmental goals.
The specific demands outlined on their website are:
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Waste Management - Show transparency in all aspects of waste management and educate the public on proper waste sorting.
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Energy - Offer rebates to citizens of Guelph who install solar panels in their home and/or offer rebates to citizens using less than x amount of energy.
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Urban Planning - Implement amenity density bonuses: Incentives for developers to provide public amenities (such as green space) in exchange for an increased density in a given zone and fast-track energy-efficient building applications.
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Transportation - More connected bike lanes in the east and west end to connect the suburbs to downtown Guelph. Implement bike highways for high population bike routes.
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Local Businesses - Provide an ethical and sustainable procurement policy, eliminate single-use products and provide incentives for customers to do the same, and sort your waste with the same system used by residents.
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Water - Educate the public on the methods and advantages of water conservation and limit the water use of big co-operations.
Youth speakers will be given some time to speak at the event with live music performed by local artists. Complimentary hot chocolate will be available to anyone who brings a reusable mug.
Community members, city councillors, organizations and local businesses are all invited to meet students demanding change.
