What did you do and what did you observe?
I attended the climate strike that congregated on chapel lawn to hear music and speakers talk about the current climate crisis.
What feelings came up for you during this experience? Fears, hopes, confusion, etc.
It was certainly a mixed bag. It was nice to see people standing up for science, facts, and the reality of the current state. I care deeply for the environment and have always felt a strong connection with nature. This was instilled in me from a young age by working on hog farms and growing up in rural Missouri. Living in Missouri is odd because people care so much for the land we live off, but starkly deny the reality of climate change. It’s easy to be kind to the planet when I’m home because of how simple life is there. We use electricity very little (no washing machines or dryers/ little time is spent inside), everyone has a garden, you learn to be conscious of waste because there is no government system to dispose of it, ect. But still, they deny climate change even when it is obviously affecting crops and seasonal patterns. And the hypocritical thing is I come to Wellesley where everyone believes in climate change (to the point of attending a strike) and we are terrible to the environment. Wellesley students have no concept of their waste, we live on a non-eco friendly campus, and our lake is so contaminated that if you dig lower than 8 inches to the mud, you risk exposing yourself to harmful toxins left from the old paint concentrate factory. It’s all so backwards, and really makes you evaluate the interactions of education, power, and willingness to actually make something better.
How did this experience influence your thinking about your education, about striking, and about climate change?
It makes me realize that this is not enough and no one on any side of the climate change crisis is really doing things right.
Some of your classmates likely chose not to strike. Assume that choice is made in good faith. Why do you believe some students took a different approach, and what feelings come up for you in thinking about alternative approaches?
I practice tolerance, and if someone chooses not to participate or does so in a different way, then that is the choice they made. Attacking students for their personal choices is so pointless/divisive. I’d rather step back and talk to someone that made a different choice than me about a larger picture. You don’t know why people do things unless you ask that person.
What are the benefits and limitations of striking?
Very few that experience the most violence from the climate crisis are in a position to have the privilege to stike. However, those that are able should stike and should most definitely be doing more.