Six Hundred Students from across New York Took to the State Capitol in a Mass Action and Lobby Effort for Climate Justice
***FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE***
March 5th, 2025
Contact: Devyn Fusaro | devyn@nyrenews.org | phone: (909) 610-9814
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New York’s Youth call on the Governor and Legislators to Pass the Solar on Schools Act and to Fund Climate in 2025-26 Budget. Over 70 lobby visits followed a rally and demonstrations in a student-led push to address polluted learning environments, precarious post-graduation futures, and under-resourced climate resiliency projects — issues organizers say Governor Hochul’s delays on climate action fail to prioritize.
Today, in an extraordinary feat of youth advocacy for climate justice, 600 students from across New York came to Albany for actions at the state Capitol. The day included a press conference with state legislators, demonstrations in the Governor’s “war room,” and over 70 lobby meetings with legislative offices, representing districts statewide.
For weeks, students have been training in effective lobby strategy and studying the climate justice policy they want to see in this year’s state budget. They arrived empowered with tools for direct civic engagement and impassioned by a shared lived experience coming of age in an era of climate crisis and rampant corporate greed, compounded by systemic racism and classism. Many of these students are on the frontlines of toxic pollution and disinvestment, which inform the cohort’s shared policy agenda for Solar on Schools and the Fund Climate Campaign.
Strategically planned for the final days of One-House Budget Proposal negotiations, this day of action brought Albany lawmakers face-to-face with the state’s youth demands for climate justice leadership.
The day began with Lieutenant Governor Antonio Delgado promising to be an ally in this work.
“Creating a bright and sustainable future for our youth begins with ensuring our environment is safe. Today, I was proud to join TREEage and so many dedicated individuals, including our young people, in uplifting this message and assuring them that I will always be an ally in this fight,” said Lieutenant Governor Antonio Delgado.
Later, at a rally of voices so loud they rang through the Capitol building, state senators and assembly members affirmed the need for political action to meet youth demands.
Speakers included Senator Kristen Gonzalez (SD-59), Senator Robert Jackson (SD-31), Assembly Member Maritza Davila (AD-53), Assembly Member Harvey Epstein (AD- 74), Assembly Member Emily Gallagher (AD-50), Assembly Member Jessica González-Rojas (AD-34), Assembly Member Anna Kelles (AD- 125), Assembly Member Sarahana Shrestha (AD-103), Assembly Member Phara Souffrant Forrest (AD-57), and Assembly Member Claire Valdez (AD-37).
“The Youth Day of Action is one of my favorite days in Albany. These young people are here to demand that we invest in climate solutions that will speed our transition to a carbon-neutral economy. They know that their futures depend on it. I will continue standing with and fighting for these young people. We all deserve a healthy planet and livable future,” said Assembly Member Emily Gallagher (AD-50).
“It brings me great pleasure to see all of you future leaders. I’m a grandmama, and I want my children and my great grandchildren to understand the work that you do. The work that you came up here to do to remind us that you are important. That we need a planet that is going to be safe clean and livable…I heard you loud and clear,” said Assembly Member Maritza Davila (AD-53) member of the Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic, and Asian (BPHA) Legislative Caucus, which includes the Fund Climate Campaign in their People’s Budget.
“The measure of a society is not in the promises it makes, but in the futures it secures. Today, we draw a line—not just in policy, but in principle. We refuse to let the greed of the few dictate the air we breathe, the homes we live in, or the schools where our children learn. I choose justice over stagnation. I choose action over rhetoric. I choose the people over polluters. That’s why I’m pushing for Solar on Schools—S.2632—because our children deserve classrooms powered by the future, not the failures of the past. We can no longer afford half-measures. I stand with Treeage, NY Renews, and all the young people demanding a livable future. I am committed to making this vision a reality. History is watching—let’s act now," said Senator Robert Jackson (SD-31), Sponsor of the Solar on Schools Act.
Shifting from a spirit of unity between advocates and their legislative allies, the tone sharpened as the group moved to Governor Kathy Hochul’s Capitol Office.
In light of this session’s bewildering austerity from the Executive branch, the Fund Climate Campaign calls for the entirety of the $1B – and much more – promised in the Executive Budget Proposal to flow through the Climate Action Fund this year. But advocates were clear that this amount does not meet the scale of investments needed for comprehensive climate solutions.
That’s where the anticipated Cap-and-Invest program would have come in; however, the Governor has indefinitely paused the program’s rollout and thereby significant measures to cut toxic pollution and raise an estimated billions of “on-budget” revenue into the Climate Action Fund. New York’s youth are calling for draft regulations of the Cap-and-Invest program to be released immediately, in order to advance the program equitably and justly, as per the Guardrails Bill [A.3975 / S.4651].
“Our youth are crying out for us to step up and take action to protect their very futures so they do not inherit a state that they can’t afford to live in and that is burdened to the breaking point paying for the damage to our infrastructure due to climate change that we did not address. We cannot keep putting corporate interests ahead of our people by slow walking and rolling back all of our environmental laws and doubling down on natural gas investments like the Iroquois pipeline. We need the long overdue cap and invest draft regulations released now and we need strong guardrails to protect disadvantaged communities, ensure sufficient incentives to divest from fossil fuels, and provide direct rebates to low and middle-income families. We need to ensure low-income households have energy efficient electrified homes so they are not left behind in the energy transition. In short we need a just transition now to save our environment, our people, and our economy,” said Assembly Member Anna Kelles (AD- 125), sponsor of the Guardrails Bill [A.3975 / S.4651] and the GAP Fund [A.2101/S.3315].
“We have a clear moment here in our state budget to live our values and talk about what we need. We need to talk about forcing the Governor to move forward on Cap-and-Invest, to get NY heat in this budget, to focus on our schools, solar panels, electric buses; thats our responsibility now. We need to fight for that in this budget, we need to fight for that in this moment, we see whats happening in Washington, New York needs to be a leader on Climate Justice,” said Assembly Member Harvey Epstein (AD-74).
"The consequences from climate inaction are here and they are dire. We cannot let polluters off the hook, and leave future generations holding the bag. For years, climate youth activists have been calling for solutions to the problems caused by fossil fuel billionaires. Legislation like Solar on Schools and the Cap-and-Invest Program Guardrails Bill must be included in this year’s budget to lower costs, create union jobs, and ensure polluters are held accountable for the harm they’ve caused our communities," said Assembly Member Claire Valdez (AD-37).
Reading from handwritten letters addressed to Governor Hochul, dozens of students shared their climate stories, while their peers chanted for climate justice now in a mass occupation of the Governor’s “War Room.” The Governor did not come out to speak with the group, but the messages were left behind in earnest.
Grounded in the gravity of the personal, New York’s next generation of voters turned next to the political. Splitting into groups by region, they lobbied over 70 legislative offices for the climate priorities that impact their daily lives. Agendas for the meetings included cosponsorship for the Solar on Schools Act [A.2720 / S.2632] and funding for community climate programs outlined in the Fund Climate campaign spending plan, such as Affordable Climate-Ready Homes, the GAP Fund, and Community-Directed Grants, as well as Indigenous Nation budgetary and policy priorities.
"Healthy and modern public school buildings shouldn’t be just an aspiration. In New York, we can implement the Solar for Schools program and award upfront complementary funds and technical assistance to select schools that are pursuing renewable energy projects and seeking federal direct pay provisions, which are very much alive in the Inflation Reduction Act. Without state support, school districts may never be able to access those federal funds because they would still have to cover 40 to 70 percent of the total project cost, and because the savings are only paid back over time. The inability to secure upfront funding and technical know-how should not be the reasons why schools interested in clean energy are left out from accessing the opportunities in the IRA," said Assembly Member Sarahana Shrestha (AD-103), Sponsor of the Solar on Schools Act.
“We have the legislative tools we need to achieve our CLCPA targets, and now we just need to get these bills passed. Bills like the GAP Fund, Solar on Schools, the Cap-and-Invest Program Guardrails, and many more climate spending legislation will give working-class New Yorkers the financial means to participate equally in our green transition,” said Senator Kristen Gonzalez (SD-59), sponsor of the GAP Fund [A.2101/S.3315].
“The climate crisis continues to pose an existential threat to all of us, disproportionately impacting communities of color and low-income New Yorkers like the ones I represent in Queens. New Yorkers have suffered for too long from the State’s slow action. Many of our neighbors are suffering from poor air quality, high utility costs, and rising rent prices, which are overlapping issues related to corporate greed and the continued disregard of the climate crisis. We have to take immediate action and put the health and wellness of New Yorkers first. I stand alongside TREEage in calling on my colleagues in Albany to pass Solar on Schools and to Fund Climate in the 2026-27 budget. These initiatives will make a tremendous difference for our future and move us forward toward a more sustainable New York,” said Assembly Member Jessica González-Rojas (AD-34), another member of the Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic, and Asian (BPHA) Legislative Caucus who came to be in solidarity with this cohort.
Legislators from the Bronx and Binghamton, who were unable to attend the rally in person, echoed their legislative colleagues.
“It is critically important to invest in environmental conservation and climate justice to secure a cleaner and safer New York for all. As Senator for the 29th Senate District representing many environmentally disadvantaged communities, it is important to support legislation that increases affordability, decreases pollution, and promotes climate justice. Many thanks to my colleagues in government and the advocacy groups for these important initiatives,” said Senator José M. Serrano (SD-29).
"New York’s climate future must be built with fairness and justice at its heart,” said Senator Lea Webb(SD-52). “The Fund Climate Campaign ensures that the benefits of clean energy and climate resilience reach the communities who need it the most—those most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. By investing in affordable homes, supporting grassroots efforts to cut pollution, and funding energy projects in our schools, we are not just addressing the crisis; we’re building a future where every New Yorker has access to clean air, green jobs, and sustainable living. This is about taking bold action to protect our people, our planet, and our shared future."
From filling the Million Dollar Staircase, to visiting each and every level of the legislative office building, the magnitude of these concerned and dedicated students was undeniable. If budgets are values statements, this year’s will indicate how New York’s government values the call of its youth for climate justice.
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TREEage is a grassroots student-led climate advocacy organization dedicated to winning tangible, transformative climate action in New York. TreeAge is a community of 1000+ high school and college students across all five boroughs dedicated to building the power of young people in order to win the livable green future we deserve. From championing bold climate legislation, to electing young progressive leaders, to leading the fight for Green, Healthy Schools, Treeage leads campaigns for real policy change to shape New York’s future.
NY Renews is a coalition of 380+ environmental justice, community, faith, labor, and multi-issue organizations fighting for just climate policy for New Yorkers. We are the force behind the nation's most aggressive climate law, the 2019 NY State Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act.