SNOWSPORTS BRAND JOINS CLIMATE STRIKE
18th September 2019 | Jane Peel, Chief Reporter
Last modified on June 22nd, 2020
The snowboard manufacturer Burton is closing all its stores and offices worldwide to support the Global Climate Strike.
People are being urged to walk out of work or school or leave their homes to demand an end to the age of fossil fuels.
It’s part of Climate Action Week which runs from Friday 20th September.
“The world as we know it is facing a global climate crisis, and we all need to start acting like it,” Burton said on its website earlier this week.
And as the strike got under way, this was the message on its website.
Burton Snowboards on strike
The brand’s stores and offices across Europe, North America, Japan and Australia are taking part.
Some closed for business last Friday; the rest are doing so on 27th.
Burton on strike
Burton’s flagship stores will keep their doors open and become action centres during the strike.
Although they will not be selling anything, they will be a base for people wanting to make placards, gather ahead of rallies, or find out more about climate change.
The long-term future of the snowsports industry is at risk from global warming with glaciers retreating at an alarming rate.
Glacier retreat
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Burton is following the lead of the young Swedish activist Greta Thunberg who has become a global icon for the cause.
“The Amazon is literally on fire, the seas are rising and glaciers are melting,” Burton’s Chief Executive Donna Carpenter said in a email to employees.
“I’m proud to have Burton join Greta’s movement to draw attention to this global crisis.”
Burton is establishing itself as a major supporter of initiatives to halt climate change.
In the summer it donated $50,000 to the charity, Protect Our Winters.
Burton Snowboards
Burton was founded by Donna Carpenter’s husband, Jake Burton Carpenter.
He is one of the pioneers of modern snowboarding and has been making snowboards since the late-1970s.
