Climate Strike - why we closed our doors

September 26, 2019
by Green Collect Webmaster

Green Collect took the bold step to close operations - office, warehouse and both shops - to enable staff to attend the climate rally on September 20 - joining 100,000 others to march through the city of Melbourne.

As a group of people dedicated to working for the health of our planet, Green Collect chose not to do business as usual, but to down tools and close all our sites for the climate rally. Staff from our Braybrook warehouse and shop joined the staff from the Yarraville shop, and picked up our placards to send a strong message to our politicians. Green Collect walked in solidary with 100,000 others, calling on our politicians to take further action on climate change. 

Why did we do it? Because we understand that our climate is too important for families and our workplace to ignore. We didn’t want our employees to choose between a paycheck and the planet. And they didn’t have to. Molly, Green Collect’s Incoming Resources Coordinator, attended the rally. Molly said: “Our workplace is a team of passionate people, recyclers, who care about climate change, social impact and sustainability. Our bosses shut doors on our retail and warehouse operation so we could attend the rally … and we got paid!!! We raised our voices next to each other with smiles on our faces for a common cause.”

The rally was an important time for Green Collect staff to show our support for the bigger picture of our work. As we continue our work reducing office waste to landfill, we call on our politicians to do their work managing our environment for the future. For us to turn back the clock on climate change, we need leadership from those who hold the power. The rally called on our government to commit to:

  • No new coal, oil or gas projects
  • 100 per cent renewable energy generation and exports by 2030
  • Funding for "a just transition and job creation for all fossil fuel industry workers and communities"

We’ve built our business around a sustainable future and an inclusive workplace. We expect our government to do the same.