Intrepid Travel has contacted agent partners to encourage them to take part in the global Climate Strike on Friday, September 20, three days before the United Nations climate summit in New York.
The company is closing its global headquarters in Melbourne for the day so that staff can join the youth-led movement.
In an open letter, James Thornton, CEO of the travel company, said: ?We are at a pivotal moment in time. Taking definitive action to fight the climate crisis is critical. Children around the world have been leading the way through the Climate Strike movement, and now is the time for adults ? and business leaders ? to stand up and support the call for immediate action.
?At Intrepid, we believe that we have a particular responsibility to take climate action ? because flying is a big contributor to emissions, and we want to ensure we are doing everything we can to mitigate our impact. We have been climate neutral since 2010, and in 2020 we will become a Climate Positive business.
?We firmly believe that there are positive solutions available ? but change is happening too slowly. We need individuals, businesses and governments to work together to make change happen. This is especially true now, when short-term decision making is putting future generations at risk. We want to send a clear message that we stand in solidarity with our children, and that we demand immediate action.?
The company has joined B Corp business collective This is not business as usual, a group of Australian and global companies pledging to support worker participation in the strike.
The companies said: ?Every business can do something, whether it?s closing the doors, having a meeting-free day, allowing a long lunch, or sending an email to make it clear teams will not be penalised for taking a few hours off.?
Strikes are planned in 120 countries across the world and organisers expect hundreds of thousands of people to protest government inaction on climate change.
Agents can sign up at the Intrepid Loves Agents Facebook group.
For more information, see https://globalclimatestrike.net/
