Photo: Catherina Gerritsen

Hi everyone

In late May, various climate groups on their own decided to venture out with shoe strikes in Sweden. The result was over 70 groups joined in the shoe strike accompanied by massive publicity. Some groups in the US and Canada came forward and said, why not us with shoe strikes for climate justice on Saturday July 25?

So here goes with the what, where, and how:

Join and create a shoe strike on your own or with a few others, registering your event on the right hand side here. We put out shoes because we need to observe social distancing while making our message seen!  Remember the linkage shoe strike and school strike! We can emphasize here the need for climate justice, as climate impacts will hit above all middle and low income, especially people of color, more adversely. Your group choses the message.

Strong leadership is about being able to look beyond the chaotic present and to act now for what is going on at the same time with the corona crisis, namely the climate crisis.

In the Paris Agreement, 194 countries agreed that the average temperature should be limited to well below 2 degrees with the aim of limiting it to 1.5 degrees. Despite this, greenhouse gas emissions continue to increase. Since the industrialization, we have already raised the average temperature by 1.2 degrees.

The warming means elevated sea levels, dehydrated grazing and land areas and more uninhabitable areas. Glaciers disappear and self-reinforcing effects are created that accelerate climate change even further. Many are being forced away from their homes and the number of climate refugees is increasing significantly. To cope with the climate crisis, we might also raise the call for climate justice.

Our demands of politicians and holders of power is that they immediately, with people and the environment in focus, take the big steps toward a sustainable and secure society:

Put people and the environment first. Prioritize incentive measures that quickly create more jobs in sustainable future sectors. Introduce safety nets and measures to help people retrain and quickly get into work in clean industries that do not emit CO2.

Leave the fossil economy. Ensure that all the financial incentives now being rolled out contribute to the goals of the Paris Agreement and the UN Global Sustainability Goals. Remove fossil subsidies and tax relief for fossil energy. Discontinue all public funding of - or investment in - fossil activities. Set a higher price for carbon dioxide.

Declare a climate emergency. Once declared by political leaders, hold them accountable!

Also urgent is that each of us change our behavior. We share the responsibility to act with politicians, companies, and organizations. A good idea is to measure and reduce your climate footprint. There are several measurement tools available online.

Please remember we must observe social distancing at the shoe strikes and if you anticipate too many, simply build more local shoe strikes in your town! All you need is two or three volunteers, plenty of shoes, and signs.

Sincerely,

NAZCCA,  certain local US FridaysforFuture groups, and more.

Practical information

Orientation: On Wednesday, July 1, July 8, July 15, or July 22, at 9 AM Arizona time, or 12 AM New York time, co-sponsors NAZCCA and FridaysforFuture will host zoom debriefs followed by short presentations of the behind the scenes helpers, and questions about local FFF groups and ActionNetwork and other issues in the planning of the shoe strike. Select the link for the days you want to join: July 22. Or please sign up on the right side here even if you chose not to register your group.

Shoe strike Purpose: The climate crisis and the call for climate justice must not be forgotten. We want everyone to realize the extent of what is happening as climate impacts unfold, especially on folks of lower and middle income.  Since we are not allowed to gather in person, we will substitute shoes for people. We also want the campaign to receives media attention. The strike supports goals to stop the climate destruction especially on people of color. Listen to the researchers. Flyers and protest signs should be about climate change and climate justice. Single-issue organizations with signs about other issues risk removing focus from climate justice , and will not be allowed.

Location: US / Canada, any place, can include dozens of places in a single city

Time: Optional (eg Flagstaff runs 12.00 - 13.00)

Our own safety with regard to Corona: We recommend a maximum of about 6-8 strikers per place. Remember to keep distance and take the responsibility in venturing out to shoe strike. You can have the campaign all by yourself too. Do post photos on social media! You can also have several shoe strikes for Climate Justice in your town or city!

Prepare beforehand. Issue a press release, contact radio stations, post in events listings, post in facebook links. Register on FFF global map link, namely  https://fridaysforfuture.org/action-map/register-report-strikes/. Or register at this page on the right side, fill in the form.

For more information write to: slowclimate@gmail.com

Suggestions Put leaflets in shoe boxes for people to pick up = social distancing. Sell "Scenes Out the Heart" by Malena Erman, Svante Thunberg, Greta Thunberg et al. for cost price. A good eye opener to read and give as gifts.

Photograph your shoestrike and post on social media with the hashtag #shoestrike + DAY + MONTH. So for this shoe strike on July the 25th, it will be #shoestrike25july.

How to collect shoes? For example, pick up from those who cannot come. For people bringing shoes, ask that they put their names and contact information on a piece of paper in the bottom of each shoe. Rent/borrow shoes from 2nd hand. In some cases, collect shoes and then donate to second hand stores, asking them to publicize events. It is the shoes, the signs, leaflets and banners that provide the message. No strike is too small! 3 pairs of shoes are good enough.

Contact for questions:  If you have any questions, contact jacqueline.karvik@hotmail.com.

Materials and links:

Press releases: Flagstaff press release, sample

Press release: Version 3

Leaflets: Shoe strike leaflet, English, sample

Leaflet: Shoe strike leaflet, Flagstaff sample

Petitions: online

Petitions: downloadable  paper copy

Sample banners: first and second

Important links: to materials or people

Important: for discussion and questions, after signing up at this link, go to discussion board and zoom link information.

Below it says: Shoe strike for the climate

Register your event on the form on the right-hand side of this page. You will hear from us if you are several who have registered the campaign at the same place so we can help bring you together.  

Installation: Shoes (and children's shoes!). Anyone who wants to write their name on a note that shows who the shoes belong to (becomes more personal).

Banners (large, see picture): Eg. TOGETHER FOR THE CLIMATE, SHOESTRIKE FOR CLIMATE JUSTICE

Suggested short messages (in the shoes or signs beside): Climate change is the biggest threat, Let's flatten the CO2 curve, I can't believe I'm marching for this, Every day is a Earth day, Change the system - not the climate, Give me a future, Vote with your feet, Walk in the right footstep, Choose the right footprint, Choose your footprint, There is no Planet B. Support FFF, Support NAZCCA, Save Our Forest, Rescue Climate Refugees, Wind POWER!, Build more Solar!, Farms are Drying - People are Dying!, Species are fleeing!, Climate Disasters Cost $$, One Earth One Chance!, Our House is on Fire!, You’re Burning Our Future!, How Dare You!, Climate Justice Now!, Save Our Future!, Mother Earth Matters!, Coal Kills!, 100% Renewable by 2030!, Make the World Greta Again!, You’ll die of old age, I’ll die of climate change, If you don’t act like adults We Will!, ECOCIDE!, I Need YOU to Panic!, No more Dirty Energy!, etc…

Marketing and spreading the word: Feel free to pick more places as shoe strikers in your network! Ask them to register here for NAZCCA for Arizona, which means this link, https://actionnetwork.org/events/nazcca-fff-shoe-strikes-for-climate-justice/. Or register here for Canada or the US, which means this link, https://actionnetwork.org/events/call-to-action-local-fff-shoe-strike-infosheet.

Thank you for all you can do!

FFF groups, NAZCCA, others