By Caroline White, Contributing Writer
Westborough – Westborough High School has its very own climate change activist! Bridget Lord is an ambitious and dedicated junior who works with both local and international groups fighting for environmental health. After years of interest in this cause, last summer she decided to take action.
I have always been involved in Girl Scouts… A big part of Girl Scouts is about being outside and appreciating nature,” Lord said. “In late July 2019, I heard about the climate strikes that were going to be in September, and I realized that there wasn’t going to be one in Massachusetts, so I thought I needed to plan one. Then Boston Climate Strike popped up so we started working together.”
Lord is involved in four groups: two local, and two international. Locally, she is the Founder and General Coordinator of Fridays for Future Massachusetts, and on the Policy Team of Boston Climate Strike. She also works with Polluters Out and Fridays for Future International, which include members from all around the world. She dedicates hours to these groups discussing and planning with other members and has attended numerous events such as strikes and community service days in order to take action.
“The December 6 Boston Climate Strike was probably my favorite,” Lord recalled. “We didn’t have much time to plan it so we knew we wouldn’t be having as many people, but it was a lot more energy I think. Everyone who was there was so much more motivated, and talking to the legislatures after was great.”
In addition to speaking with the state legislature, Lord has had the opportunity to collaborate with Bernie Sanders’s team. They met with Fridays For Future Massachusetts to discuss how they could work with the environmental activism group and talked about Sanders’s presidential campaign views on climate change.
“They helped us create a video about the Green New Deal,” Lord added.
The Green New Deal is an important aspect of Fridays For Future Massachusetts’s cause. Essentially, the group wants the economy to transfer so that workers are protected and more jobs are created that are environmentally friendly. They also want to be rid of fossil fuel infrastructure.
“We all know that fossil fuels are hurting the environment, so why would we keep using them?” Lord asked.
Recently, Lord had the chance to work with Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg through Fridays For Future International. The two have joined forces to create webinars on various areas of focus within the issue of climate change. Fridays for Future International has been holding these online talks every Friday in place of the strikes that have been prevented due to the COVID-19 pandemic. These webinars feature different speakers, such as Naomi Klein, and are streamed publicly on YouTube and Facebook.
Lord encourages everyone to exercise their right to vote.
“A lot of people can vote and don’t understand the power of their vote, especially living in Massachusetts. You might think ‘Oh, we live in a blue state my vote doesn’t matter anyway.’ And educate yourself before you vote definitely.”
