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Cville Kids Strike Over Climate Change

14--year-old Gudrun Campbell (left) has organized two children's strike over climate change.
RadioIQ
14--year-old Gudrun Campbell (left) has organized two children's strike over climate change.

When she was 11, Gudrun Campbell heard about Greta Thunberg – the Swedish girl who dropped out of school to crusade against climate change. That made sense to Campbell. Now 14, she organized her second climate strike this week – heading for the downtown mall to press Charlottesville City Council for greener transportation.

“Things like electrifying bus fleets, increasing service frequency and covering seating and lighting at bus stops are all really important to me to make sure that our climate solutions are equitable and that we’re acting on a larger scale than just electrifying your individual vehicle.”

About two dozen children skipped school Friday to protest a lack of local action on climate change.
RadioIQ
About two dozen children skipped school Friday to protest a lack of local action on climate change.

She said city council had committed to long-term goals.

“It set an emissions reduction target of 45% by 2030 and 100% by 2050, but we haven’t seen any steps to work toward those goals in the past two years.” :

Albemarle County has set the same goals, but earlier this month a report warned it was far from achieving them. Campbell called on the city to consider global warming in everything it does.

“Just including a climate element in all their new projects and funding projects that work toward fighting climate change.”

She urged the city, for example, to assure all new school renovations are green.

Sandy Hausman is Radio IQ's Charlottesville Bureau Chief