Global Day of Climate Action || Sept 25 2020 ||

Friday September 25th 2020 marks the Global Day of Climate Action.
Organised by Fridays for Future, global climate strike movement that started in August 2018, when 15-year-old Greta Thunberg began a school strike for climate. The goal is to put moral pressure on policymakers so that they will listen to the scientists and then to take forceful action to limit global warming. Policymakers are in the best position to create the rules and regulations that can impact the future of the planet.

Last year, we marched to Parliament in Ottawa, the capital of Canada to demand action from our government.

This year, the Global Day of Climate Action may look a little differently thanks to COVID-19 and regional restrictions that have been put in place.

Why we need to take action

From 350.org: “Thanks to Dr. Kimberly Nicholas for putting it so simply“

The average global temperature is about 1° C warmer than what it was during the pre-industrial levels. The 2018 IPCC report showed that we may reach the 1.5° C threshold by 2030 — less than 10 years from now! It may not sound like a huge increase, but it is the difference between life and death for thousands of people.
The rising temperatures relate with an increase greenhouse gas emissions and recorded levels of CO₂ in the atmosphere and in ice core samples. The temperature increase also correlates with our burning of fossil fuels.

Take Action : Strike

Check the Fridays for Future map to see if there are any strikes in your area. If there aren’t any in your area, you can organise an event and have it listed on their map. When organising a strike, protest, or march in your area, be sure to follow all local guidelines and COVID-19 safety measures.

Unable to Physically Strike for Global Day of Climate Action?

You can still participate.
Get creative and do your part.

Make signs or posters and post to social media.
Stage a mini protest before school or during lunch by standing outside with a sign if your school will allow you with the current COVID regulations. I know this wouldn’t be possible at my child’s Jr High.
Wear a ribbon to show your support. Blue for the ocean planet, green for the forest planet… or maybe both. Since masks are required in most places, you can write a message on a mask to show your support.

Be sure to share your Global Day of Climate Action achievements online with the #FridaysForFuture and #ClimateStrike hashtags.

---

Pin for Later

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

---

St Jean Baptiste – Fête Nationale … What is it?

Growing up, the only thing I knew about St. Jean Baptiste Day was that it meant the school year was over. I never remember learning about it in school, and I moved to the USA when I was in eight grade. I could tell you almost anything you wanted to know about North Carolina and American history though. I often wondered if I wasn’t as aware of the holiday as I should be a younger child because I grew up in an anglophone and protestant town.
Asking my mother, who is French Canadian, gave me the answer … “It’s Québec’s birthday”.
Okay, but why the Saint?
I thought Québec and Canada were proud of their secularism?! Was that the day that Québec was founded? I was the kind of kid who wanted to know more.

The History Behind Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day

Held yearly on June 24th, Saint Jean Baptiste Day is now known in Québec as la Fête Nationale du Québec. It has been a statutory holiday in Québec since 1925, although it had been celebrated in North America since the early days of New France.
Originally, it was celebrated as a religious holiday.
It coincides with the summer solstice. Pagans would light fires to commemorate the longest day of the year. In typical early Christian fashion, they took over the celebration and re-branded it, associating it with St John the Baptist.

In Québec as early as 1843, it started as a religiously led political celebration. There would be a mass, a banquet and a parade led by member of Saint Jean Baptiste Societies. It evolved over time to include other cultural organizations, students and professional orders. The last float would usually have a curly headed young child representing St John, and children dressed up as Jacques Cartier and an aboriginal person. Over time, more people from early French Canadian history were added.
In 1908, Saint John the Baptist was named the patron saint of Québec.

During the 1960s and 70s Québec started to move away from the relgious aspect of the holiday and began to focus on the arts and culture. The name was actually changed to la Fête Nationale du Québec in 1977 to remove the religious connotations.

^{Fête de la Saint-Jean-Baptiste © Morgan/ Flickr}

These days (well maybe not this year, thanks COVID 19) la Fête Nationale is still sometimes called La Saint Jean and is a day for proudly displaying the blue-and-white fleur-de-lys flag. Celebrations include parades, festivals, outdoor concerts, parties, and fireworks. It marks the beginning of the summer season with the end of school, camping trips and get togethers.

So now I know, if my kids ever ask, I can give them more of a background on the holiday. Google Calendar calls it St. Jean Baptiste.