By Kate Hill
Staff Writer
On Sept. 20, three Cazenovia Middle School students joined the thousands of young people around the world who missed school to draw attention to the global climate crisis and to demonstrate their unwillingness to accept the status quo.
The youth-led climate strike was held on the Village Green between Emory and Green Streets from 8 a.m. to 2:50 p.m. — the length of the school day.
“The goal of this strike is to inform people about how real global warming actually is and its severe consequences,” said seventh grader Owen Woodworth, the event’s organizer.
Woodworth was joined on the green by fellow seventh graders Cy Lurie and Amie Harper.
According to Woodworth, the group’s primary focus was on the elimination of single-use plastics in the school cafeteria — particularly plastic straws and utensils, as well as plastic and Styrofoam cups.
“This is an easy fix for Cazenovia,” he said. “I see no reason why this can’t happen, [and] I won’t rest until it does . . . I [was] fully prepared to stand alone all day if necessary. Everyone who [came] is greatly appreciated.”
While Woodworth held a handmade sign calling for the elimination of single-use plastics, Lurie and Harper raised signs urging passersby to reduce their carbon footprints.
Woodworth credits Greta Thunberg — a Swedish teen climate activist — with inspiring him to organize the strike.
In Aug. 2018, Thunberg, 15, took time off from school to demonstrate outside the Swedish parliament and demand stronger climate action.
In doing so, Thunberg started a movement — now called Fridays For Future — that has since spread all over the world and involves over 100,000 schoolchildren.
“Greta let me know that I could make a change,” Woodworth said. “That really touched me, so I will be making a change, [and] I hope you will too . . . It is extremely important that young people stay active in this . . . [We] need to take care of our planet so [we] have a planet. Just because you’re not an adult, it doesn’t mean you can’t make a change.”
The Cazenovia Central School District was informed of the strike in advance, but was not involved in its organization in any way.
“A parent has a right to dismiss their child from school to participate in an activity with parent permission,” said Cazenovia Middle School Principal Dr. Jean Regan. “However, this is not sponsored by our district . . .”
According to Woodworth’s mother, Alicyn Hart, her son has been raising awareness about the strike among his peers through Snapchat — a multimedia-messaging app.
“I am extremely proud of my son for having the courage to do this,” Hart said. “As parents and educators, it is our responsibility to instill respect for the natural planet outside the classroom and then allow our youth to act on their ambitions to protect it.”
The strike was held three days in advance of the emergency United Nations Climate Action Summit in New York.
