MTA Board votes to co-sponsor Earth Day 2020 Boston

MTA Board votes to co-sponsor Earth Day 2020 Boston


Earth Day 2020 Boston

The MTA will co-sponsor Earth Day 2020 Boston and organize members to participate in actions surrounding and including a climate strike on Wednesday, April 22.

A New Business Item approved at the MTA Board of Directors’ meeting on Feb. 2 directs the MTA to “organize its members to participate in the week of action by promoting climate justice curriculum and the schedule in the lead-up” to Earth Day, which will mark its 50th anniversary on April 22.

“The MTA has acknowledged, rightly, that we’re facing a climate emergency,” the NBI states. “We must seize on the 50th anniversary of Earth Day — originally a colossal protest that brought about landmark environmental legislation, such as the Clean Air Act — as an opportunity to continue to push our climate justice agenda.”

The week of action kicks off on Saturday, April 18, with a rally and teach-in at English High School in Boston from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Speakers will discuss the anniversary and the urgency of continued action on climate change. For preK-12 members, the events will occur during April school vacation week.

Get Involved

Members of the MTA Climate Action Network are available to meet with locals and discuss ways to participate in teach-ins and take other actions.

Email MTA Climate Action Network

The NBI specifically urges member participation in the teach-in, as well as the climate strike on April 22, which is being organized by youth climate action group Strike With Us.

The MTA will reimburse individual locals and chapters up to $750 each for bus rental costs for climate-week-related activities and the cost of food provided during bus trips to and from the event. Reimbursement — as approved by the association’s Public Relations/Organizing Campaign Committee — will be limited to those purposes.

Watch for more information about all Earth Day 2020 Boston events at earthday2020boston.org. More specific information on how MTA members can participate will be posted on massteacher.org as planning moves forward.

The NBI was submitted by Fall River teacher Kurt Ostrow and UMass Lowell researcher Tom Estabrook. They presented the names of 16 fellow MTA members who signed a petition in support of the proposal.

"Earth Week will pull people together and provide ways for them to start taking action."

Newton teacher Michael Kozuch

Michael Kozuch, a member of the Newton Teachers Association and a leader of the MTA Climate Action Network, said the April 18 rally and teach-in will provide excellent opportunities for educators to learn more about what steps they can take to support students concerned about climate change and to discuss resources for teaching about climate, sustainability and the environment.

“Earth Week will pull people together and provide ways for them to start taking action,” Kozuch said.

Both active and retired members are part of the MTA Climate Action Network. Its members are available to meet with locals and discuss ways to participate in teach-ins and take other actions. The network can be contacted at MTAClimateAction@gmail.com.

“We are facing a climate crisis that threatens all of us, our students and the Earth,” said MTA President Merrie Najimy. “As educators and unionists, we play a pivotal role in advocating for policies that protect our students and their future — and that protect workers as we take the necessary steps to address what is happening to the planet we inhabit.”