Sunrise NYC Completes 253 Mile Bicycle Trek for Climate Action

This Earth Day, Sunrise Movement NYC biked over 250 miles from New York City to Albany, NY for Climate Can’t Wait, a package of 12 climate priorities that must be passed by the New York legislature, including the All Electric Buildings Act and Build Public Renewables Act. The trek culminated in a 1,000 person rally at the state capitol.

“New York is in the unique position to lead the nation in creating a healthy and abundant future in which all of us can thrive, not just the powerful billionaires and corporations,” said Veekas Ashoka of Beacon, NY, one of the Sunrise NYC hub members who cycled from Manhattan to Albany for the protest. “The Climate Can’t Wait bill package has given the Governor and Legislature the opportunity to create that hopeful future for us all. It’s our job to demand that they take it.”

“The fight doesn’t end here. We will keep up the pressure on our elected officials to deliver on their legal and moral obligations to New Yorkers, and we will continue working to elect more climate champions who will fight for environmental justice and climate resiliency to our communities,” Sunrise NYC hub member Alex Graves, added.

“Governor Kathy Hochul talks about being a climate leader, but she isn't acting with the urgency that New Yorkers need to protect our homes and communities. We need to build renewable energy, end fossil fuel subsidies, and create good jobs,” said Alexa Jakob, Cooper Union student and Queens resident. “Without bold leadership from Governor Hochul, Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, and Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, the state we know and love today will look drastically different within our lifetimes. Passing these bills would start New York on a path to have a better, more equitable future."

"New York’s Empire State Trail is a shining example of the kind of forward-thinking that our state should continue to have to become a leader in creating a carbon-free future," said Andrew Wells, environmental science teacher in Manhattan.

Even as climate legislation stalls at the national level, Sunrise hubs, like Sunrise NYC and Sunrise Westchester, are leading the fight against climate starting on the local level.

Capital Tonight: Environmental advocates push for more action by New York state on Earth Day

• Fifty-two years since the first Earth Day, advocates made their way to Albany on their bikes Friday to push the Empire State to adopt more aggressive policies to address climate change.

• Veekas Ashoka, a leader with New York’s Sunrise Movement, told Capital Tonight that it is time for New York to follow up on the promises in the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act and take action to reduce emission and achieve a just transition.

• The Sunrise Movement was one of the members of a Climate Can’t Wait coalition that converged on Albany to demand action on 12 bills in the legislature. The package of bills includes the Climate and Community Investment Act and the Build Public Renewables Act. Ashoka argues that the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act “was always supposed to be only half of the equation” and that more regulation and funding is needed.

CBS Albany: "Climate Can't Wait" activists protest the state legislature's climate inaction

• Dozens of climate activist groups are rallying in Albany Friday, calling on Governor Kathy Hochul and the state legislature to pass a series of bills they say are crucial to the local/global effort to fight climate change, global warming, and their ill effects.

News10: Climate Can’t Wait: Activists push for 12 climate bills

• Celebrating Earth Day, activists with Climate Cant Wait rallied together at West Capitol Park on Friday. They’re asking legislators to pass a series of 12 climate justice also known as the Climate Cant Wait Package.

Gotham Gazette: During Earth Week, Advocates Press New York State and City Leaders to Go Bolder on Climate Policy

• With the global climate crisis heading to the point of no return, dozens of climate activist groups are rallying ahead of Earth Day, April 22, calling on Governor Kathy Hochul and the state Legislature to pass a a raft of bills they say are crucial to the local and global effort to fight climate change, global warming, and their ill effects.

• “New York has the unique opportunity to lead the nation in creating a healthy and abundant future in which all of us - not just the powerful billionaires and corporations - can thrive,” said Veekas Ashoka, an organizer with Sunrise NYC, in a statement. “The Climate Can’t Wait bill package has given the Governor and Legislature that opportunity to create that hopeful future for us all. It’s our job to demand that they take it.”

Harlem World Magazine: 1,000 New Yorkers From Harlem To The Hudson Rally In Albany, Demanding Climate Can’t Wait

• “I biked to Albany because I believe in the power of regular people to change the world through courageous choices, and the change we need is a healthy and abundant future for all of us New Yorkers. I’m joining the trek to do my part to blaze the trail toward that future, and I’m excited to meet hundreds of other trailblazers along the way,” said Veekas Ashoka, Sunrise NYC, who cycled from Manhattan to Albany for the protest. “New York has the unique opportunity to lead the nation in creating a healthy and abundant future in which all of us—not just the powerful billionaires and corporations—can thrive. The Climate Can’t Wait bill package has given the Governor and Legislature the opportunity to create that hopeful future for us all. It’s our job to demand that they take it.”

The Gothamist: Climate change activists are biking from NYC to Albany to demand action

• About a dozen people embarked on a roughly 200-mile bike ride from New York City to Albany on Saturday morning to demand lawmakers take action against climate change.

• The groups are pushing the state Legislature to pass a dozen bills that would move the state away from relying on fossil fuels.

The Troy Record: New Yorkers Rally in Albany on Earth Day; demanding action on climate change

• On Earth Day, 1,000 activists from the Climate Can’t Wait coalition came from all corners of the state to Albany for an Earth Day protest of what they called the legislature’s climate inaction.