The largest climate march in America’s history was not without its share of orange.
Sunday more than 400,000 people congregated in New York for the “People’s Climate March,” a peaceful rally to promote environmental consciousness. Comprising environmental activists from all over the world, the march preceded the United Nations Climate Summit that took place yesterday, bringing 120 world leaders to New York to discuss potential methods of combating world pollution.
Alongside concerned Americans like Leonardo DiCaprio and Al Gore, University of Tennessee students marched proudly through New York’s city streets.
“Everyone’s yelling, chants are going around, everyone’s got signs, floats and there’s people from all different backgrounds coming together,” said Jackson Oakes, junior in environmental studies who attended the march. “It was a great atmosphere. You could really feel the solidarity amongst all the different causes.”
Oakes was one of more than 25 UT students from the divestment group Fossil Free UT who made the 12-hour drive to New York for the event. Their journey was fully funded by the Tennessee chapter of the Sierra Club.
The issue of climate change is one that is fought both on a global and local level. Fossil Free UT campaigns to encourage “socially responsible divestment” in UT’s system by denouncing investment in companies that produce fossil fuels.
For Ellie Holzapfel, sophomore and member of Fossil Free UT, the march in New York served as an opportunity to fight a local battle on a national level.
“Jimmy Cheek won’t even listen to the students of divestment anymore,” Holzapfel said. “This was our moment to show him that we are serious and that this problem is bigger than campus, it’s global.”
Charlene Basinger, sophomore in audiology and speech pathology, said she had mixed emotions when she arrived in New York.
“I was called every name in the book there by everyone,” Basinger said. “We were told, ‘Go home hippies!'”
Despite the hostility, the group of UT students quickly became a part of the crowd, marching behind grandparents from Norway and students from New York. Basinger said she saw cardboard snowmen dressed like the ralliers and marchers draped in gay-pride flags.
Christina Gore, sophomore in environmental studies, said she was thankful for being able to participate in such a monumental event.
“I think that this is one of those history-making moments,” Gore said. “Climate change and how we deal with the environment is one of those big issues our generation is going to have to deal with.”
