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On January 29th, we’re running an event called Fossil Banks No Thanks and we’re teaming up with For Our Kids to bring our demands to as many branches as possible. We will be hosting a webinar with Climate Fast explaining the action and the larger campaign on January 24th.

WHY TARGET THE BANKS? Since the Paris Accord the Big 5 CDN banks have pumped near $500 BILLION (USD) into fossil fuel companies, undermining all of our hard work. Our BankSwitch Campaign asks Canadians to contact their branch manager and let them now they will be taking their money elsewhere in April 2021. The Fossil Banks No Thanks Day of Action is designed to spread the word about our banks’ complicity in the climate crisis to a wider audience.

WHAT’S HAPPENING ON JANUARY 29th?

In order to spread widely and remain covid-safe, Fossil Banks No Thanks is a choose-your-own adventure protest. *As of January 13th we are thinking how to comply with the stay-at-home orders in Ontario and the event may go all phone/digital.*

We ask that you:

  1. Pick a branch.
  2. Deliver a message about fossil fuel lending and investment.
  3. Share your action on social media using the #bankswitch and #fossilbanksnothanks hashtags. You can also message the For Our Kids and Climate Pledge Collective accounts so we can reshare your posts!

Your exact action is up to you. You could deliver a letter. You could picket outside for twenty minutes or the entire day. You can do it by yourself or meet up with a few friends or a climate action group (as long as you follow public health guidelines). You send an email or make a phone call. You could slap up posters on utility poles near the branch. As we get closer to the date, we’ll release more graphics and posters to make this as easy as possible for you.

Please remember that tellers and customer service reps don’t set fossil fuel financing policies and they aren’t our enemies. In fact, they’re frontline workers who have been putting their health at risk to keep branches functioning during the pandemic – so be nice to them! This action is intended to encourage both employees and clients to become climate champions and help us change their bank.

Local groups across the country will plan their own events. If you’re on Facebook, you can RSVP for the umbrella event here and get the updates you need. We’re working on an automated branch sign up, but for now, you can just email us (matt[at]climatepledgecollective.org) with your chosen location and we’ll let you know if other people are planning to be there.

Messaging!

We will provide templates for posters, signs and letters, but original messaging is always welcome! The facts, figures and phrases you will need to design your own messages can be lifted from our BankSwitch campaign. Most of them come from the Banking On Climate Change Report from BankTrack and the Rainforest Action Network. If you’re talking to branch employees, try to invite them into the campaign. We know you don’t set fossil fuel polices, but you have slightly more power than we do, so we need your help!

Slogan ideas: #FossilBanksNoThanks; Be the Heroes Our Kids Need; Finance Climate Solutions not Carbon Bombs

Participating Organizations

If you’re busy on January 29th, sign up for BankSwitch and take action on your own schedule.