History will be made on Sunday, September 21 in New York City when heads of state of the United Nations, along with multitudes of other concerned citizens, will participate in the largest rally in climate change awareness history. Environmentally conscious students at Colgate University are doing their part to join the movement by bringing some of the climate change rally to campus. This homecoming weekend from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. on the academic quad, the Colgate and Village of Hamilton communities will unite to show support for action to

address climate change.

The event, titled the People’s Climate March, is sponsored by Act350. Bill McKibben, author of the book “Eaarth,” and avid speaker against the dangers of the fossil fuel industry, leads Act350 in its efforts to take action against the dangers of environmental exploitation. The organization gets its name from its environmental roots. The goal is to lower the carbon content of the atmosphere down to 350 parts per million – a number we are currently surpassing.

It is important to remember that this rally is focused on action. The Colgate event page reads, “Our demand is for Action, Not Words: take the action necessary to create a world with an economy that works for people and the planet – now. The financial cost, the constant threat to human lives and homes, and the unnatural dramatic changes to our planet mean there’s no longer a choice.”

Colgate was initially going to send a bus of concerned students down to the march in New York City, led by senior Skylar Lindsay and senior Sarah DeFalco, but homecoming weekend provided a unique opportunity to bring the climate change rally to campus.

“We’re looking to involve students, alumni and the greater Hamilton community to show solidarity in light of this important issue,” DeFalco said. The leaders spent this past weekend gathering support from community members at the farmer’s market and lobbying for different Colgate groups to come out and show their support.

The Colgate Resolutions a cappella group will be providing entertainment this Sunday, September 21 outside of the chapel, along with a variety of speakers and an “Act 350 photo,” providing evidence of the greater community that cares about climate change action. The organizers encourage different campus groups to come out and get their photo taken at the rally to show their support.

Lindsay wrote on the rally event page to outline the goals of the movement.

“We know that no single meeting or summit will ‘solve climate change’ and in many ways this moment will not even really be about the summit. We want this moment to be about us – the people who are standing up in our communities – to organize, to build power, to confront the power of fossil fuels and to shift power to a just, safe, peaceful world,” Lindsay said.