By Zinnia Smith, David Smith, and Maddy Tiede – Staff Writers
At 3:00am on Sunday, September 21st, nineteen St. Lawrence students left the Bookstore parking lot to meet the North Country 350 alliance, a regional chapter of the 350 organization. At Paul Smith’s College, the students transferred to a six-hour bus ride in anticipation of arriving at New York City by 11:30am for the People’s Climate March. The People’s Climate March is now recognized as the largest climate mobilization, ever. 350.org predicted 100,000 people for the march, but instead, an estimated 400,000 people clustered near Columbus Circle to protest the world’s habitual inactivity towards climate change. The march moved slowly down the 2.2-mile stretch along Central Park, Times Square, and ended at 11th Avenue. Yet, it was not just New York City where people gathered to protest the climate threat. Around the world, in 162 countries, 2,646 protest events were held in the weekend preceding the U.N. Climate Summit on September 23rd. What was perhaps most striking about the march, besides the sheer number of people, was the diversity. Groups protested for Food-Liberation, Peace not War, Anti-Capitalism (with slogans like “Flood Wall-Street” and “System Change not Climate Change”), the Socialist Party of America, to LGBT against climate change. The total number of organizations reached 1,574 and all of them bannered together. From marching bands, to hula-hoops, to a giant inflatable cow with the towering slogan, “I am full of Green House Gas, do you have a steak in it?” Vegans wore shirts that boldly said, “If you eat meat then you’re not an environmentalist.” Celebrities such as Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt, joined politicians Al Gore and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon. Meanwhile, everybody carried orange signs marked with “I’m Marching For” followed by their own declarations of protest. “The Earth,” “The Birds and the Bees,” “The Great Barrier Reef,” “My Children,” “You.” The diversity was a stunning reminder that climate change, unlike any other historical crisis, has a far-scoping and insurmountable impact on everybody. From the sheer number gathered in New York City, the climate march was slow moving and congested near the start. Yet, the crowd was consistently energized and united. At exactly 12:58 pm, climate marchers held up their hands and dropped their heads. What followed was a two-minute moment of silence for all those who have lost their families, homes, and livelihoods to climate change disasters. Following at 1:00pm, an impending cry descended down the length of Manhattan as protesters sounded the alarm on climate change. David Smith, class of 2015 and Chair of Divest SLU, said, “Throughout my career of environmental activism, environmental rallies, protests, and even an act of civil disobedience—nothing could compare to the feeling we all felt at 1:00pm when a wall of noise roared down from one end of Manhattan to the other.” Hopefully, the alarm is heard. Not just by world leaders but by communities and individuals. Climate change will shift the natural world, and as if stricken with fever the earth will be sick with drought, storms, and sea level rise. These side effects are not to be read as singular symptoms, but a cause-and-effect cycle that will impact our food, air, drinking water, and security. Yet despite all of this, the mood at the People’s Climate March was hopeful. St. Lawrence can proudly recognize its role amongst the 50,000 college students present for the march. Yet, this is not to say its participation is satisfied. As Smith said, “I truly believe change will need to come from the bottom up starting with individuals. It begins here at St. Lawrence whether it is pushing your administration to bring in more local food or urging the board of trustees to invest in environmentally friendly companies. Climate change is an issue that affects every single person. It does not discriminate between race and creed. We all have a part in this play and it is important that we act now.” For more information, go to 350.org.