Who is Greta? Besides our new hero…

Where were you when you first saw a clip of little Greta Thunberg, the pigtail-adorned activist from Sweden? I was on Instagram scrolling through a blur of brands, influencers and whatever's trending, when up on my feed popped this 16 year old activist on hashtag: #ecoliving and it stopped me in my tracks. In honor of this badass wave maker, we’re pausing our normal activity to bring much deserved attention to this amazing cause capping this article with her full speech at the bottom.

(pro-tip: follow hashtags like #sustainability & #greenliving for injections of eco-friendly inspiration during your Insta-scroll).

Despite her girlish hair-style, there is a ferocity in her eyes, that in a glance captures the severity of the message to come. Over the 3 minute and 30 second speech, Greta speaks passionately about climate change and, the best part, she doesn’t hold back condemning the powers responsible blocking for progress:

There are smirk-worthy jabs throughout this speech, and the only thing missing is a mic drop at the end. Unlike the governments and corporations she puts on blast, Greta has backed up her words with action.

Greta was invited to speak at the United Nations Climate Change Conference to deliver this speech, after organizing school walkouts on Fridays to fight for climate change. Using the hashtag #FridaysForFuture, this movement is rapidly spreading with students from around the globe now dedicating their Fridays to the fight for climate justice and Greta herself has just been nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize.

Since I first saw the video (at bottom of page), this movement has continued to pick up momentum, and it’s got the feeling of one of those monumental events that we will hopefully look back on as a tipping point in change. Kids have special powers in this way. Playing hooky from work to promote change feels like a day well spent, but there’s something about a kid breaking the system and pre-defined expectations to create a movement and harness attention from across the globe.

We know a significant change can be boosted when those responsible for protecting current climate standards finally wake up, but as Greta reminds us in her speech:

We can all do our part in our communities and in our day-to-day lives to raise awareness and to adopt small changes in our habits. If this movement speaks to you, definitely give a follow to @gretathunberg and keep an eye on #FridaysForFuture #SchoolStrike4Climate #ClimateStrike .

For tips and ideas on taking steps to live a greener life, check out our other blog posts on getting plastic and unsustainable habits out of your home in our Get Your Sh*t Together series. I’m sure Greta would appreciate the sentiment 😉.

 

 

Want to take more action? Join us at one of our cleanup events! We just kicked off our first of the year yesterday and there are plenty more to come!