Over a hundred Northwestern students and Evanston community members braved the cold and rain today, with umbrellas and protest signs in hand, to join hundreds of thousands of students in 123 countries to demand change in environmental policy at Northwestern and beyond.

The student-led Northwestern Climate Change Strike focused on both University-specific and global issues. Accompanying the strike was a list of global, national, and local demands for change in environmental policy spearheaded by student activists and SESP sophomores Mari Gashaw and Melissa Batz. Some of these demands included asking for support of the Green New Deal resolution introduced by House Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY 14th District) and Senator Ed Markey (D-MA), calling for Northwestern to divest from fossil fuels, and imploring the University to take a greater leadership role in the Chicago area to promote climate change solutions.

The student organizers made sure that the sense of urgency to change environmental policy came across loud and clear.

“[O]ur leaders are not putting enough emphasis on saving our world. We only have 11 years to change the course of climate change — 11 years until we feel the worst effects of climate change. We are not acting swiftly enough. We aren’t doing enough,” Gashaw wrote in a post to the Northwestern Climate Change Strike Facebook event page.

In addition, student speakers proposed numerous actionable items to promote sustainability and environmentally-friendly practices on campus. Some suggestions included bringing silverware and supplies to campus dining centers to reduce the amount of single-use plastics consumed.

McCormick senior Ryan Albelda spoke during the strike and underscored the capability of all students to make changes in their everyday lives.

“You don’t have to know all the science,” Albelda said in a call to action.

Citing their own story, Gashaw noted that many communities have been negatively affected by unsustainable practices for years.

“Climate change affects people of color the most,” Gashaw said. “My hometown is next to a landfill and when I go back there will be nothing let for me…this fight for a lot of us is life or death.”

There was also acknowledgement of students’ power in changing the status quo, as well as the importance of taking action. And most importantly, student organizers promoted messages of hope.

“We need to lead the change,” said Juan Zuniga, ASG Vice President of Sustainability, “since [we are] are going to live far longer than those who sit in Rebecca Crown.”

While Zuniga said that issues of climate change keep him awake at night sometimes, Zuniga still spoke optimistically about climate change activism on campus, and said that it “means a lot that students still care.”

“I’m really hopeful,” Albelda said, “maybe we’re not moving as fast as we absolutely could, but we’re moving.”

Northwestern students and Evanston community members gathered at the Rock for the Northwestern Climate Change Strike.

Students at Northwestern can call for change in environmental policy in numerous ways.

To join the Sunrise Movement, a movement of young people uniting to stop the climate crisis, text SUNRISE to 723–45.

To call for change in environmental policy within the United States, see this document by the Northwestern Climate Change Strike for itemized instructions on how to call your representatives.