A day of lobbying: Why climate activists took to Albany in January
ALBANY — It was still dark and frigidly cold when the bus was loaded in the parking lot to St. Monica’s Church on Genesee Street in Rochester.
One-by-one more than a dozen people exit the warmth of the cars and climb on the tour bus at 6 a.m., the beginning of a long day spent rallying and lobbying state elected officials in Albany on climate change topics.
The bus was already half-full with activists from Buffalo, including members of People United for Sustainable Housing. It was an even longer day for them, with an extra hour of travel pegged to each side of the already-lengthy 4-hour bus ride.
This day of lobbying Jan. 22 was organized by NY Renews, a coalition of environmental, justice, labor and faith groups and featured volunteers from around New York state. The main topics for discussion? The implementation of the state’s cap-and-invest program and the NY Heat Act.