By Olivia Crocker
Copy Editor
“I don’t want you to be hopeful. I want you to panic. I want you to feel the fear I feel every day. And then I want you to act.”
16 year old Greta Thunberg is a young activist in Sweden, who has inspired an international student movement fighting climate change. She gained internet attention after posting an image of herself holding a sign with the words “Skolstrejk för klimatet,” or school strike for climate.
An estimated 1.4 million students all around the globe have joined in her cause, including students in Washington state. Her strikes have grown rapidly since they first began in the summer of 2018, with over 1600 strikes planned worldwide in March of this year alone.
While concerned with encouraging individual actions towards sustainability such as recycling, what Thunberg and other young activists are calling for is a change of the entire system; a revolution in our approach to sustainability.
Thunberg, who has been nominated for this year’s Nobel Peace Prize, is also changing global attitudes around the power of youth.
Thunberg posted to her facebook page, “The favourite argument here in Sweden, and everywhere else, is that it doesn’t matter what we do because we are all too small to make a difference. [But] Friday was the biggest day of global climate action ever, according to 350.org.”
The PLU Scandinavian Cultural Center (SCC) is currently hosting an exhibit centered around Thunberg and her activism.
Coral Hunter is a student intern in the Scandinavian Cultural Center, located in the Anderson University Center. She along with KD Williams, another student intern, work with the Director, Dr. Jason Shroeder to create and contribute to some of the exhibits displayed throughout the year.
Other exhibits are organized by members of the Scandinavian Cultural Center council. Hunter says that exhibits can take around three months to put together, and is a very rewarding process for those involved.
“Those council members are usually the people who take the lead with our exhibits, however or current exhibit was curated by students. [We] are very humbled by the opportunity to be able to curate our own exhibit and are excited to share it with the PLU and South Puget Sound Community.”
The exhibit, which opens on April 1, is meant to imitate a social media feed. “We want this exhibit to be up to date and flexible, changing as each day goes by and truly representing Greta Thunberg’s current state of activism.”
Hunter hopes that students who walk through the exhibit will be inspired to work towards combating climate change.
For students at PLU, this is partly to celebrate the moves the community has made towards reducing its carbon footprint. However, Hunter believes the campus community can still do more to combat climate change.
“ I hope this exhibit is not only a way to reflect on all of the changes we have made, but to remind ourselves that the fight is far from over. “
This exhibit will be open until June. Students can come to the SCC during the following times:
Sundays: 1pm – 4pm
Tuesdays and Wednesdays: 11am – 3pm
On Tuesday April 16, during Earth and Diversity Week, the SCC will host a lecture by Dr. Matthew Vitz at 7:30. Students will be able to experience the exhibit and learn more about Earth Day.
To stay up to date on upcoming events in the Scandinavian Cultural Center, follow their social media.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ScandinavianCulturalCenteratPLU/
Twitter and Instagram: @scancenterplu
Students with ideas for the SCC or questions about how they can get involved can email the Director Dr. Jason Schroeder schroejm@plu.edu.
