DATE(S) OF THE MOBILIZATION
July 19th 2018- The Youth Climate Lobby Day
July 20th 2018- Art Builds & Community Building
July 21st 2018- The Youth Climate March
LOCATION(S) OF THE MOBILIZATIONS
Washington D.C
MOBILIZATION BACKGROUND
The mission of the Zero Hour movement is to center the voices of diverse youth in the conversation around climate and environmental justice. Zero Hour is a youth-led movement creating entry points, training, and resources for new young activists and organizers (and adults who support our vision) wanting to take concrete action around climate change. Together, we are a movement of unstoppable youth organizing to protect our rights and access to the natural resources and a clean, safe, and healthy environment that will ensure a livable future where we not just survive, but flourish.
The Zero Hour movement started with our founder, 16-year-old Jamie Margolin, a fierce climate justice advocate, who has been working tirelessly for the last few years to move her home state of Washington to adopt common sense climate change laws. Frustrated by the inaction of politicians and the fact that youth voices were almost always ignored in the conversation around climate change and the profound impact that it would have on young people, Jamie started gathering several of her friends in the summer of 2017 to start organizing something big, something hard to ignore!
Jamie was inspired by the mass mobilizations like the Women’s March that had occurred in early 2017 and realized that a national day of mass action, led by youth, would be an ideal platform to ensure that young voices were not only centered in this conversation, but that politicians and adults would hear their voices loud and clear!
By the end of the summer, young activists from across the country, from diverse backgrounds, had joined the team and the Zero Hour movement had started taking shape.
GOALS OF THE MOBILIZATION
The goal of the march is to mobilize thousands of youth from across the country to demand action on climate change. Zero Hour is bringing attention to the fact that time is up for the climate and action is needed now. The youth of this world will bear the brunt of the effects of climate change and will have to live in an ecologically damaged world.
The goal of the lobby day is to develop a relationship with members of Congress and to get them to take a pledge to not take any fossil fuel money. That is a first step for members to show that they are serious. Once a member of Congress agrees to not take any fossil fuel money, follow up steps will be offered.
TARGET(S) OF THE MOBILIZATION
Right now there are 25 Senate targets for the lobby day. This could change depending on how many youth rsvp. We are focusing on the Senate for meetings. All elected officials are the target for the youth march.
MOBILIZATION MESSAGE
Disrupt the Status Quo
● Uplift youth leadership and the leadership of frontline communities.
● Work with First Nations to protect their treaty rights and food sovereignty.
● Reduce meat, fish, and dairy consumption that comes from industrial agriculture.
● Divest yourself, and your church/university/town/city/state from fossil fuel money.
Food, Water, Housing for ALL
● Reduce dependence on industrial agriculture by growing food locally.
● Catch and treat rainwater for household use.
● Work together in communities to affordably build and retrofit housing to follow the six principles of radically sustainable housing.
Reduce Energy Consumption
● Work together in communities to create solar and wind powered grids.
● Create mass public transit systems and bike lanes in small towns as well as large cities.
● Create collectives within your community to teach skills such as building, permaculture, plant-based cooking, etc.
Restorative Work
● Restore land with indigenous trees, plants, animal species, and medicines.
● Transition fossil fuel workers to clean, healthy, living wage jobs.
TACTICS/OPPORTUNITIES FOR ENGAGEMENT
CONTACT FOR MORE INFORMATION