PETERSHAM – About four dozen people gathered on Petersham Common Friday, joining millions of other people worldwide who took to the streets to demand an end to the age of fossil fuels.
Lynn Feldman, one of the organizers of the Petersham event, said she and the other participants wanted to show support for all the young people around the globe who walked out of their classes Friday to urge world leaders to address the issue of climate change.
“I have children who are in elementary school,” said Feldman, “and they’re not old enough yet to strike. But I feel compelled to stand up and support those who are striking, because it takes a lot of courage to walk out of school, especially when students have a lot of pressures on them to perform. A lot of them are putting a lot on the line by stepping out and striking.”
“I feel adults,” she continued, “and those who have not really stepped forward as much in the past as we should have in order to prevent some of the problems we have now, have a moral obligation to support those students and follow their lead and listen to what they’re saying.”
“I’ve been concerned for many years about climate change and environmental degradation, but more recently the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has made very specific recommendations about how to prevent a catastrophic climate crisis, basically destroying society as we know it, and destroying nature. I feel that there’s an urgency now that wasn’t there before. So, I feel it’s time to put other things aside a little bit and begin to really raise a higher level of alarm in order to create stronger government action to prevent climate disaster.”
Feldman says she has discussed the issue with her children, ages 6 and 10.
“I do talk to my kids about climate change,” she said. “They understand the basics of what’s happening. My kids are very concerned about the effects of climate change and environmental damage on wildlife. It is important to talk to kids about climate change and engage them in discussion. I do think they should be aware because they’re the ones who will be dealing with worst effects if we’re not able to take action quickly enough, as well as creating a new world where we can live without fossil fuels.”
As part of Friday’s event, Feldman explained, an interactive art project has been placed in front of the Petersham Country Store, asking children and adults to write a message regarding what they think about when they think about climate change, “what they’d like to see, and what their hopes are for the future.” The display will remain in place until this Friday, when another climate change protest is planned.
Feldman is part of an informal group known as the Petersham Huddle, which put together the events for last Friday and for this coming Friday.
This week, said Feldman, “Petersham Country Store is going to be offering a local-only menu, with profits from that lunch going to local environmental organizations. There’s going to be some discussions and some information available from local environmental groups. There will also be some children’s activities and an ice-melt guessing game. We decided to do two events because they’re capping Climate Week, which is being organized by the students and the young people. We’re taking an education and awareness approach for our next event.”
There will also be storytelling and a wild edibles tour.
This Friday’s event takes place from noon to 3 p.m.