Climate advocacy events planned for September

A series of events meant to foster advocacy for climate change mitigation action kicks off this weekend with a community conference, a recycling drop off day and a youth info session.

The first ever Climate Week Whidbey is sponsored by the Whidbey Island chapter of Citizens’ Climate Lobby, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that focuses on advocacy and policies to address the global climate crisis. Climate Week Whidbey — which will actually span a period of nearly two weeks — shares a theme with Climate Week NYC: “We Can. We Will.”

Climate week coincides with the annual meeting of the United Nations General Assembly that focuses on climate change. Julie Nowak, a group leader with the Whidbey chapter of Citizens’ Climate Lobby, said that Climate Week events outside the UN give people in business, government and civil society the opportunity to expectations, hope and solutions surrounding the climate crisis.

The Whidbey Citizens’ Climate Lobby will partner with several other island-based organizations for the event series, including Whidbey Climate Action, Sno-Isle Libraries, Island Transit, United Student Leaders and more.

The first event of Climate Week is an online Inclusion Conference: Building Community Beyond Barriers. It will take place from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 16 and feature speakers from all over the world. Register online at citizensclimatelobby.org/climate-change-conferences/inclusion.

That same day on the South End, Whidbey residents will have the opportunity to drop off hard-to-recycle items such as bottle caps, light bulbs and electronics. RePurpose, a grassroots zero-waste group dedicated to helping people better manage their resources, will be at the South Whidbey Commons from noon to 4 p.m. Sept. 16 to accept recyclables and educate people on how to reduce waste.

On Sunday, Sept. 17, an online info session for middle and high school students will teach youth about ways they can be involved in climate advocacy. Led by leaders from the Washington State Chapter of Citizens’ Climate Lobby’s Youth Action Team, the session will cover ongoing projects and opportunities for young people to get involved in the movement for climate action.

The youth info session will take place online at 1 p.m. A Zoom link to the meeting can be found at whidbeyclimate.org/events.

The above link also includes a full calendar of Whidbey Climate Week events. Next week’s offerings include an online Sno-Isle Libraries presentation on the ocean geared toward children and families on Sept. 18, a presentation on a “Faith-based Rationale for a Climate Healthy Diet” by the Greening Congregations Collaborative on Sept. 19, an Island Transit “Celebrate Sustainable Transit” event on Sept. 22 and more.

United Student Leaders, a youth-led climate action coalition based on South Whidbey, will hold its annual climate strike at 1:45 p.m. on Sept. 22 at Castle Park in Langley. The theme of this year’s protest is “End Fossil Fuels.”

Climate-centered events, including a fall gardening class and a Coupeville Library presentation on how to plan for a zero-energy future will continue through next Thursday. Whidbey Climate Week’s closing event will be an online presentation by the Mt. Baker Ski Area on “Off the Grid Progress & Challenges Toward Power Efficiency and Renewable Energy” on Sept. 28.

“Climate Week is important for its role in focusing attention on addressing — not studying! — climate change impacts and causes,” Nowak wrote in an email.

All event details and more information about Whidbey Climate Week can be found online at whidbeyclimate.org.