‘Climate can’t wait.’ Penn State students, community members rally against Trump policies
About 50 people gathered on the HUB lawn Monday afternoon to raise awareness about climate change and policies President Donald Trump’s administration has introduced that they fear will have disastrous impacts.
The rally was organized by the Penn State chapter of the Climate Action Campaign, with a goal of uniting students, community members and local officials.
Hilary Caldwell, national campus organizer for the CAC, said it’s important that students and community members join to “build a movement together.”
“I think for a lot of people right now there’s an overwhelming sort of feeling of being lost or feeling hopeless, or just unsure where we go from there. I hope that some of the takeaways from this is that there’s so much power when people come together,” Caldwell said. “You have to be willing to stand together and come together. From there, there are so many ways to get plugged in, to get involved, to take action.”
In addition to speeches, the event featured informational tables offering T-shirts, climate facts, and petitions for attendees to sign.
“We can’t do this without the work of the community members, grassroots leaders and organizations that have paved the way for this work in State College and across Pennsylvania,” Danielle Cahn, president of the Penn State’s CAC, said.
Since taking office in January, Trump has implemented a number of actions and executive orders that impact climate policies, including withdrawing the U.S. from the Paris Climate Accords and freezing funding for the Inflation Reduction Act, which encouraged investment in clean energy.
The crowd gathered around a large flag on the lawn, emblazoned with the phrase “climate can’t wait.” Alongside the words were “climate stripes” — a visual representation of rising global temperatures since 1850, transitioning from blue to red.
With the event, the biggest goal of the organization is to drive durable federal climate action, accelerate clean energy transition and deliver environmental justice by encouraging people to put pressure on members of Congress and the presidential administration, while also doing the same at college campuses.
State College Mayor Ezra Nanes spoke to the crowd about the local impact of national policy decisions and emphasized the importance of building relationships to find climate solutions.
“It begins with relationships, and if we want to have a sustainable society, we must first start by building sustainable relationships with one another, and that is based on honoring the dignity of all people,” Nanes said. “Trump is not serious about building a sustainable and strong nation, because violating dignity is a first principle of this administration, denying all groups of people the very right of their identity, acknowledgment of their experiences, safety to be themselves and express their view.”
Nanes also outlined some of the positive actions taken by the State College Borough in combating climate change, including a recent regional solar power purchase agreement.
Susan Braun, a former teacher at State College Area High School, attended the rally and expressed her enthusiasm for the student-led movement.
“I am very excited that Penn State students are taking action. I’ve been wanting to do something, and it’s necessary,” Braun said. “I hope that this will energize Penn State students to keep taking more climate action. I think it’s one of the most important things that we can be doing.”
Peter Buck, director of education for Penn State Sustainability, urged the crowd to ask questions of leaders.
“I want you to find out those people’s positions on climate. I want you to reach out to them and say, ‘What are you going to do?’, ‘What are you going to do with your board?’ and ‘How are you going to invest in renewable energy and adjust and sustainable future for me and my little brother and sister?’” Buck said.
Buck particularly emphasized the importance of the upcoming local elections for councils, school boards, and boards of supervisors.
