Youth Activists Protest Government Inaction On Fighting Climate Change In Hood River, OR
Climate Change Activists in Hood River, OR hold up their messages of hope for the planet. Pictured Left to right: Hanna Clute, Heather Neilson, Dave Roth, Michelina Roth, Dave Roth.
by Cole Goodwin
On March 25th, 2022 protesters gathered in Hood River, OR, and cities across the world to denounce government inaction on fighting climate change. The protests were inspired by Fridays for Future, a youth lead environmentalist movement founded by Swedish activist Greta Thunberg. Greta began striking for climate reparations in 2018 at the age of 15 and has inspired youth activists worldwide to do the same.
The Hood River protest was led, in part, by several youth activists who said they wanted to do something “other than tweet and retweet” about climate change.
A parent and teen team protesting in Hood River. Pictured left to right: Heather Nielson and Hanna Clute.
Hanna Clute, 17, said, “I just wanted to feel like I was doing something besides just retweeting and sharing things on social media. Being out here spreading awareness in our community feels more concrete.”
“My biggest concern as a young person is that: for the generation I’m in, our climate reality is just going to be so different from the climate reality that we’re living in right now. And it makes me think about how my future children and my friends' children will live in that world. And it's because, no offense, but it's because of past generations and people in power’s actions or inactions in dealing with climate change.”
“It’s a lot to deal with and think about.”
Hanna’s mom, Heather Nielson said she felt it was important to support youth in making their voice heard regarding climate change.
“Some of us are from Riverside Community Church. The kids were interested in joining with us to promote awareness about climate change.”
“We’ve actually met some really wonderful people and had some important conversations where there was openness to having dialogue about crops and different perspectives on agriculture. We met someone who had been a long-term professional forester and lumber guy. And we talked and found that we have a lot more in common than we had different. So that was good.”
“And then we got connected with Friday’s for Future, which is an international organization founded by Greta Thunberg. Today is an international global climate strike. And the theme is People Not Profit.”
But Heather said that the protest wasn’t associated with Friday’s for Future.
“We decided not to make signs that said People Not Profit because we don’t think it has to be one of the other. We think it is possible to have smart and wise corporate change that benefits people, climate, and business.
So we chose not to make People Not Profit signs because we feel that changes it to "us against them" versus "were all in this together." So even though we liked the idea of a global climate strike, we agreed ‘let’s not be more divisive’ because people need to make money and make a living, and it can be possible to do that while also being wise and respectful to the Earth.”
Protester Nate Roth 19 holds up a sign saying “System change not climate change.”
Nate Roth 19, said, “I’m just out here because I feel like climate change is really up in front with the people I know and kids my age. But you gotta walk the walk and not just repost on social media. So this is just one way to raise awareness that feels productive and is easy to do, and isn’t just retweeting about it.”
“Pretty cost-effective,” said the reporter, as Nate and Michelina Roth both laughed. “Just gotta make one sign out of cardboard, and you’re good to go.”
“Recycle!” responded Michelina, still laughing.
Michelina Roth, 46 “I’m out here because I care about our beautiful earth and I think we need to be changing things. I want a planet for my kids, and I want to have grandkids.”
Michelina co-owns a climate-conscious financial advising business with her husband Dave Roth.
Michelina Roth holds up a sign saying “Protect our Earth.”
“My husband and I own Fair Planet Advisors and we concentrate on socially responsible investing. I think there’s been a myth for a long time that you have to pick profit over people in order to make a living. But you can actually have both. You can have systems that work for all stakeholders and also make a profit.”
“I think people feel powerless. Like, what can I do? But actually we do have the power to choose where we invest our money. If we want these systems to change then there’s nobody but us to change it. We have to be the ones to do it.”
Cyndi Strid, 68, a mixed-media artist from White Salmon, said, “A lot of my artwork is climate-related. I’m passionate about caring for this planet. And things are getting to the point where now we absolutely have to pay attention. Time is running out on our ability to make changes to our infrastructure for our children.”
Cyndi Strid rode her bike to the protest.
Cyndi said it was time for governments to begin switching from fossil fuels to electric as soon as possible.
“We need to electrify. Climate change is real. Global warming is real. We need to make some big leaps. We need to electrify our lives quickly. We need electric vehicles, electric bikes, to get rid of your extra cars. We need legislation and policy changes. We need to set up a Green Bank. There’s just a lot of work we need to do here in the Gorge.”
What’s a Green Bank?
Green Banks specialize in clean energy financing.
“They will give low-interest loans to people who want to retrofit their home or business for solar, or make improvements for energy efficiency.”
Cyndi will be co-hosting a “Making Climate Cents” event on April 4th, about how to save money through efficient use of energy.
“The sooner we can electrify our infrastructure the sooner we start saving billions of dollars in our communities,” she said.
Dave Roth holds up a sign saying “No plan B.”
Dave Roth, 50, said he was there for two reasons.
“I’m out here today because a lot of folks are still shaking their heads at us and that makes me believe that they don’t quite understand that there’s a climate emergency going on right now, here on our globe, and we need to give that our attention. So, if we can shed a little light on that, and some love, maybe people will pull their heads out of the sand and realize that we actually do have hope for this planet.”
Dave also wanted to support his children and let them know they weren’t alone in trying to tackle climate change.
“It’s about keeping our kids' energy alive. They are depressed about what’s going on and they feel like it’s all on their shoulders. So, we’ve got to support them.”
Your City, Your County, Your Government, Your Voice.
Your city, your county, your voice. Below are links to where people can submit their public comments about climate change to local government officials.
Wasco County
City of The Dalles
City of Mosier
Hood River County
City of Hood River
City of Cascade Locks
Klickitat County
City of White Salmon
City of Goldendale
Enjoying this content? Follow these links to learn more about climate change locally.
Decarbonizing the Gorge: How communities are adapting
Quick Look: The Impact of Climate Change on Wildfires in The PNW
White Salmon and Mosier Pass Climate Crisis Resolutions Unanimously
Yakama Nation, Environmental Groups Hold Salmon Vigil to Raise Awareness of Salmon Die-Offs, Call for Dam Removal
Gorge Youth hold Climate Change Vigils
Finance Column: ESG Performance, ESG Demand, and “Greenwashing”
