youth-led organizations that have become well-known within the climate movement – such as fridays for future, sunrise movement, youth climate strike, and future coalition – banded together under a climate strike coalition to unite and plan this convergence. adult-led organizations formed a supporting coalition, signifying that this is a multigenerational movement. more than 360 additional movement partners located around the world signed on to support and take part in the collective action. 

naina agrawal-hardin, a 17-year-old activist in ann arbor, michigan, is a member of sunrise and a national representative on the climate strike coalition. she has been organizing strikes since one of the first youth-led climate strikes was held in march 2019, but the strikes in 2020 would prove to be unlike anything held before.

by early march plans and arrangements were well underway, but nobody could have predicted what would happen next. within a span of weeks, plans to apply for protest permits and requests for rally speakers came to an abrupt halt due to the covid-19 crisis.

in a press release responding to the covid-19 crisis, the coalition acknowledged the responsibility of the climate justice movement to do what they have asked the public to do in regard to climate change for years: listen to the science. with public health experts and researchers explaining that the best way to curb this virus is by staying home, the coalition knew their original plans for mass gatherings would have to be adapted – but not abandoned. 

it would have been easy to cancel the whole event, but in a defining moment, the youth rose to meet the challenge head-on.

“we have 10 years to restructure our entire society in order to mitigate the effects of climate change,” agrawal-hardin said. “that fact means we need to be thinking about sustainability and climate solutions as we rebuild our society from this covid-19 crisis. we can’t afford to let the climate crisis slip out of public consciousness.”

the climate movement would not be suppressed, not even by a pandemic. as the coalition’s website stated, “even if we’re stuck at home, we can still change the world.” 

the coalition devised themes for each of the three days of events.

april 22, earth day, was originally meant to be a day of mass mobilization, but instead, it morphed into an opportunity to demonstrate unity throughout the community. the organizers chose to focus on healing and togetherness as a way to provide comfort and inspiration during the covid-19 crisis. they took care to emphasize the need to center the voices of indigenous, people of color, and frontline communities.

on april 23, the stop the money pipeline coalition led a day of action dedicated to divestment and climate financing. from banks to insurance companies, many financial institutions are complicit in the funding, insuring, and investing in the climate crisis. in the strategy of youth-activists, blocking this steady flow of money into destructive fossil fuel infrastructure and activities is critical for addressing the climate emergency.

on april 24, organizers wrapped up earth week with a focus on the need for political change and a call for nationwide youth voter registration. elected officials were asked to support their demands, which include a people’s bailout, a green new deal, and land back for indigenous peoples. 

the 72-hour live stream was packed with content to connect organizers across the world in a massive, virtual convergence. informative panels included topics of art and youth activism, the experiences of disabled activists, indigenous leaders on the frontlines of fossil fuel resistance, intentionally making space for young people of color in the movement, being politically engaged, and climate therapy. viewers could take a little break with the numerous musical performances from artists such as nahko bear and tank and the bangas as well as yoga, meditation, and cooking tips throughout the days. local organizers were also invited to host their own virtual events in tandem with earth day live, and these events were held across the country, from alaska to florida.

three successful days of convergence did come with challenges. agrawal-hardin reflected that it was hard to get people energized leading up to these events, especially given the current health crisis.

“people are losing loved ones or stuck at home in situations that don’t feel safe. it’s a really hard time to get people hopeful about any part of our future,” she said.

organizers knew it was important to directly acknowledge the intersectionality between the climate crisis and the covid-19 crisis.

“we wanted to advance public understanding that this is not just a crisis for the planet but also when it comes to justice and peoples lives,” agrawal-hardin said. “covid-19 is disproportionately affecting black, latinx, and indigenous communities. the climate crisis is disproportionately affecting these same groups of people.” 

the center for center for disease control and prevention (cdc) recently released a report with data indicating that black americans had higher rates of hospitalization despite a lower percentage of the community. the cdc attributes this disturbing pattern to various factors including a lack of access to health care. with a relatively small collection of data and a constantly evolving situation, the true extent of this pattern remains unknown, but individual reports from states support this conclusion. in milwaukee county, black residents make up 52% of the current 168 covid-19 deaths, but they represent only 26% of the county’s total population. similar trends have popped up in louisiana and michigan, among other states. 

staggering reports of these disparities have been reported in national media, including cnn, the new york times, and the washington post.

“[covid-19] is exposing the effects of the inequitable system in our country and world,” agrawal-hardin said. “we are seeing what activists have been saying for a long time. this country is set up to benefit a select percentage of the wealthy. millions are losing not only their jobs but also their health care, and the government is handing out billions to corporations. their priority is not to take care of people but profits.”

the design of this earth day’s climate strike may have been different, but the vision for the future remains the same. 

agrawal-hardin concluded, “what i hope people take away, and what i think people need to hear right now, is that it is still possible, and in fact necessary, to build a better future. a better future means no more water shutoffs in black and brown communities, no more violation of indigenous sovereignty with oil pipelines, and health care for everyone. all of that is critical, and if we come together and mobilize around it, it is possible.”

the citizens of highland park knew they could not rely on their utility for support; the solution would have to come from within the community. the idea to install the first solar-powered street light can be credited to three community members working together in a church basement. this street light, financed by a crowdfunding campaign, was installed at 150 victor street. with just one street light, an idea was born. highland park community activists had caught sight of a larger vision, one of citywide, community-owned solar lighting.

in 2012, the organization soulardarity was formed, and over the next several years, the movement grew from a single initiative into an organization with the mission of lighting the city through a clean energy system developed and owned by the community. jackson koeppel, soulardarity’s executive director, admits the process was far from easy. 

“there are systemic and structural barriers to the problem we wanted to solve. corporate divestment, structural racism, and the monopoly investor-owned utility system kept blocking the solar street light solution in one form or another,” koeppel said.

as it turns out, the technology itself was the simple part. solar-powered street lights collect and store power in a battery during the day to be used at night. the installation cost of the solar lights ranges from $5,500 to $6,500, depending on the model. with maintenance expenses following installation, each light costs roughly $100 per year. traditional street lights actually cost more in both installation and long-term use because they require a connection to the grid system. instead of monthly electric bills, the largest cost of solar street lights is replacing the batteries. additionally, the electric bills for traditional street lights don’t consider the harmful environmental and health effects due to their primary power sources of coal, natural gas, and nuclear energy. 

while traditional street lights rely on energy from the electrical grid, solar street lights operate independently with batteries, so even when highland park is without power, the street lights will be shining. these lights are even able to power through michigan’s dark winters. the upper midwest is often considered inefficient when it comes to maximizing solar energy production, but these batteries are designed to store energy to supply power for five days without sunlight. michigan actually has a higher average amount of annual sunlight than germany, which has been leading the world’s solar market for years. 

while street lights are often thought of as a municipal service, it became clear this would not be the case in highland park. as long as they are acting within the city’s code and ordinances, businesses, schools, churches, and other organizations can own and manage their own street lighting. in highland park, there is a democratic membership process that allows the community to share ownership of the street lights installed by soulardarity. there are ample ways for members to engage in the program. they can join steering committees, attend quarterly meetings, or vote in elections for soulardarity’s board — which must have a majority of highland park residents.

“it takes a little more time and capacity to do things that way, but it’s important to the organization that we build leadership and create a culture of collective work and ownership of decisions — because that’s what we want the energy system to look like when we’re done,” koeppel said.

soulardarity believes energy democracy is necessary because the people most impacted by energy decisions should have the greatest voice in shaping them. the current energy system impacts the planet, health, and economy, but those who are most negatively impacted do not have the means to influence this system. energy democracy gives those communities — often lower income and/or of color — a voice in what their energy system will look like. 

environmental justice is at the forefront of soulardarity’s mission. they have a strong partnership with the michigan environmental justice coalition and advocate for structural change. they empower and enable frontline communities to own and benefit from clean energy systems.

rep. rashida tlaib, d-mich., has praised soulardarity’s years of hard work in her district. 

in a video for soulardarity’s grassroots gala, tlaib said, “nowhere more than michigan’s 13th congressional district knows what doing nothing at the government level looks like. we are among the most polluted, our children suffer the highest rates of asthma, and we face issues with corporate polluters, water quality, and utilities taking advantage of our residents every single day… soulardarity has worked to build a brighter, more sustainable future for us all through education, organizing, the expansion of solar-powered energy system rooted in energy democracy, and so much more.”

the efforts do not stop here. soulardarity continues to work on building a more just and sustainable community. they’ve supported the equitable internet initiative to come into highland park, and hope it will be a prelude to citywide wi-fi through the solar lights. they are also close to launching a cooperative energy enterprise. they continue to engage in numerous educational initiatives and support other neighborhoods with their own solar lighting. 

these issues do not just exist in michigan, and soulardarity is determined to use their success as a model for others. this past fall, they released a blueprint for energy democracy, and hope other communities can use it to initiate similar projects. 

“our goal is to make highland park a global model of sustainability and self-determination. we want to see an energy future that is safe, affordable, and democratic,” koeppel said.

in 2011, the local utility failed the citizens of highland park and left them in the dark. this is an example of one of the many effects of racial and economic injustice that has plagued the city for decades. the community-wide mobilization that followed is one of hope and inspiration. in a five-year report on soulardarity’s impacts, koeppel reflected on the work that has been completed and the hope he has for the future.

“the arc of history only bends toward justice because we take it upon ourselves to bend it,” he said. “working together, we have made real impacts in people’s lives and built an organization which i believe will not only bring light back to highland park’s streets, but power to its people — in every sense.”

sophie guthrie, 19, rallied alongside the other youth leaders who organized the madison, wisc., strike. guthrie is studying environmental studies and political science in her first year at the university of wisconsin-madison, but she has been involved in this movement long before coming to college.

guthrie’s introduction to the global climate change crisis was in her seventh grade science class. her teacher’s lessons on how extreme weather patterns are linked to climate change sparked her interest in the topic, but guthrie noticed these class discussions were often discouraging and rarely included good news. she felt the pain of the issues and decided it was up to her to do something about it. there was only so much she could learn in the classroom, so guthrie worked on educating herself and her peers. in seventh grade, guthrie was building momentum for what was to come.

the current environmental movement is unique because it has been erected by the voices and actions of youth. now more than ever before, youth in high school and middle school are standing up to support this movement. guthrie believes this change is less in the minds of the youth and more in the acceptance from society.

“there’s never been a youth who doesn’t care about what’s happening to them; it’s just that they’ve been told that they shouldn’t, so they don’t want to share their voice,” she said.

like others, guthrie is inspired by this momentum and power youth, like herself, have found. what starts with an individual, grassroots organizer can lead to rallying a community and initiating a national movement.

after organizing a city climate change march this past spring, guthrie and her peers realized they needed a team to maintain the momentum of this movement. guthrie helped found the youth climate action team (ycat), a non-profit organization with members in city hubs all across the state. having a formal non-profit status is important for this team of youth leaders because it gives members, many of whom are under the age of 18, the validation needed to sign forms such as permits. since its formation in march, the team has grown to about 80 active members. most members range from middle and high school to college-age, but recently, kids as young as fifth grade have reached out to join.

with such a variety in age and experience, collaboration has been key for this organization’s success. without official experience, most members had to rely on learning activism skills from one another. the team also provides a sense of support and a source of energy for each of the members. guthrie admits being a youth activist can be difficult at times.

one of the challenges is dealing with the emotions that this work can produce.

“a lot of us are always angry, and we’re always pissed that we’re doing this. because it’s why do i have to be doing this? why have i been worrying about this since the seventh grade? this shouldn’t be my job,” she said.

“it’s really just each other that keeps me going. if it was just me by myself, i would not still be working on this because burnout is real and people get burned out so fast. it’s allowing each other to take breaks but also helping each other back up after things happen.”

for the global climate strike, the team hoped to localize wisconsin’s events and initiate change at a local government level in order to most effectively tackle each community’s diverse set of problems. ycat leaders established the united goal to push wisconsin’s gov. tony evers to declare a statewide climate emergency, and various cities, including madison, were demanding their local officials to do the same.

in madison, there were activities from sunrise to sunset. guthrie explained this was intentional because they acknowledge that not everyone has the privilege to take the whole day off of work or school to strike. they wanted to make sure there was a way to get involved no matter what time or for how long people may be able to join.

organizing a strike is hard work. guthrie admits that most of the day was filled with stress and anxiety as she was pulled from one task to another, trying to make sure the day ran smoothly. there were moments, though, that stopped her in her tracks. 

“i saw everyone marching down the street, and it was this gigantic crowd…to see all these hundreds of people walking down, it was amazing,” guthrie said.

the crowd was heading to a gathering in the streets outside of madison gas & electric (mg&e), the city’s local utility company. organizers ran teach-ins, tabling from environmental organizations, art construction, and more. from mg&e, the crowd marched to the capitol where there was a rally led by the youth climate action team. following the rally, the crowd entered the capitol rotunda to continue voicing demands for climate change action until the building closed.

guthrie hopes the day’s events will build awareness about the power structures, such as the power of mg&e, at work in madison.

“this shouldn’t be about people going vegetarian or vegan or straws,” guthrie said. “this should be about looking at the companies that are causing the majority of this damage and focusing on taking them down rather than fighting each other. a lot of these things that are holding us back from progress are these companies that are profiting off of our extinction.”

the threat of extinction is one that guthrie takes very seriously. outside of this movement, guthrie explains that she doesn’t have many long-term plans.

“climate change is going to decide what future i have, so i can’t plan for a future if there isn’t one.”