Kelly Regan
Equinox Staff
Keene State College took part in the national Climate Strike on Friday, September 20. Keene State students Lauren Perkowski and Macie Flammia and alumna Katelyn Fournier organized the Climate Strike on campus.
The Climate Strike at Keene State College was part of the international movement of school climate strikes. This movement was inspired by environmental activist Greta Thunberg and the #FridaysForFuture movement.
According to GlobalClimateStrike.net, over 150 countries are participating in these climate strikes and these strikes are organized by students through the #FridaysForFuture platform.
Macie Flammia is a junior biology major at Keene State College. Flammia advertised for the Climate Strike and coordinated with surrounding towns.
“I did this more as a way to calm my anxieties about climate change,” Flammia said. “Climate change makes me very anxious and a way to deal with that is to feel like I’m doing something.”
Fellow strike organizer Lauren Perkowski said that the turnout was greater than anticipated.
Joining Keene State students at the strike were Keene State faculty and staff, Keene community members and students from surrounding towns.
“I’m here because I think it’s important to stand up for what you believe is right,” ConVal Regional High School student Ella Wicker said.
“Keene State is a very ecologically-minded campus and I feel like events like this help to cultivate that,” Keene State student Ecram Tedrose said. “For the new students this is so early in the year, this is a perfect time to show what Keene is all about.”
Lauren Perkowski is a member of the New Hampshire Youth Movement, which is an organization that creates hubs across New Hampshire for the advancement of the organization’s political platform.
“Seeing people out here is really inspiring, because it’s so easy to get so mad and concerned about this. It’s really cool to see everyone come together,” Perkowski said.
“We are a network of young people across NH, working collectively to further a united political platform,” The NH Youth Movement website states.
Part of the NH Youth Movement’s political platform is supporting the transition from fossil fuel to sustainable energy and passing the Green New Deal.
“The biggest issue is the politics of this—who’s in charge and who makes the rules, like the fossil fuel companies and the big corporations,” Perkowski said.
Katelyn Fournier is a member of the Sunrise Movement. The Sunrise Movement, which started in 2017, is an organization that seeks to combat climate change through political activism.
“Sunrise is a movement to stop climate change and create millions of good jobs in the process,” The Sunrise Movement website states.
The Sunrise Movement hopes to stop climate change by convincing politicians to support the Green New Deal.
“The Green New Deal is our best plan,” Fournier said.
Keene State students, alumni and Keene community members plan to meet with Senator Jeanne Shaheen representative in order to vocalize their concerns.
“Our main question for her (Senator Shaheen) is ‘Why haven’t you supported the Green New Deal?’ Which is really the only climate policy out there,” Fournier said.
Kelly Regan can be contacted at
kregan@kscequinox.com.
