Intrepid Travel is closing its Melbourne headquarters and New York City office today, September 20, to support a worldwide strike to call for action on climate change.
In an open letter, James Thornton, Intrepid’s CEO, said: “We are at a pivotal moment in time. Taking definitive action to fight the climate crisis is critical. Children around the world have been leading the way through the Climate Strike movement, and now is the time for adults – and business leaders – to stand up and support the call for immediate action.
Intrepid’s global headquarters in Melbourne, Australia, will close for the day in order to allow employees to participate in the strike. The company’s New York office will also close to join in the rally in Manhattan’s Financial District, led by youth activist Greta Thunberg.
Strikes are planned in 120 countries across the world and organizers expect hundreds of thousands of people to protest government inaction on climate change.
Earlier this year, Intrepid Travel had announced plans to become “climate positive” by 2020. Thornton said that the company has a particular responsibility to take action, as flying is a big contributor to emissions.
“We firmly believe that there are positive solutions available – but change is happening too slowly,” Thornton said. “We need individuals, businesses and governments to work together to make change happen. This is especially true now, when short-term decision making is putting future generations at risk.”
The company has joined B-Corp business collective This is not business as usual, a group of global companies pledging to support worker participation in the strike. “Every business can do something, whether it’s closing the doors, having a meeting-free day, allowing a long lunch, or sending an email to make it clear teams will not be penalized for taking a few hours off,” the companies said.
For more information, see https://globalclimatestrike.net/
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