Closed For Business, Open for Action – Burton Joins the Global Climate Strike

October 01, 2019

When we heard about the youth-led Global Climate Strike, we knew we had to come together, disrupt business as usual, and show up for our planet.

The 2018 UN IPCC Global Warming Special Report, signed by 91 scientists from 40 countries, said immediate action is needed if we want to avoid total climate breakdown. Natural disasters are intensifying, forests are burning, and glaciers are melting. We are already at the beginning of the sixth mass extinction in Earth’s history. We’re in jeopardy and, needless to say, so is our sport and lifestyle.

The science is screaming for us to make huge changes in the way we live. If we want to keep enjoying snowy mountains, and if we want the next generations to enjoy them too, we need to do everything we can right now. As one employee’s sign put it, “I march so my son can ride.”

Some of the 500 people that came out to march from our Burlington, VT headquarters to City Hall.

The dedicated crew at our Tokyo, Japan flagship store and office.

Strikers gathered outside our Innsbruck, Austria flagship store, too.

So, on September 20th for 24 hours, we shut down our offices, halted all sales, and Burton.com redirected to the Global Climate Strike site. Our storefronts became action centers for strikers, and Burton employees around the world came together to stand with students demanding climate justice. Together, we made signs, wrote to our representatives, marched, and rallied. It wasn’t just us – students, families, and workers showed up for what ended up being the largest climate mobilization in world history.

We have plenty of experience making noise for the things we believe in. Donna Carpenter, our co-CEO, led our company to the 2017 Women’s March on Washington, even funding employees' travel to get there. For years, Burton has worked closely with Protect Our Winters (POW) to take action against the climate crisis, including lobbying at the US Capitol – and this is just the beginning.

The earth isn’t going to heal itself. We all need to be accountable for the future of our planet and playground.

No sales, only action for 24 hours.
"It was pretty wild. Tens of thousands of people were marching for the cause," says Alex Dillenbeck, Assistant Brand Manager – Burton Australia..
Skaters and cyclists led the way in Burlington, Vermont.
Jack Mitrani and Danny Davis know what they stand for. Do you?
Sign-making got creative in Innsbruck.
The Burton Austria crew out in the streets.
The crowd listened as Burton co-CEO John Lacy gave an impassioned speech in Burlington, Vermont.
Burton co-CEO Donna Carpenter supported the strike from London, England.
Burton employees and people from the community were invited to our Burlington, Vermont headquarters to make signs and march together.
Turning hope into action. We will keep showing up until change is made.