Kids write holiday climate change letters for Gov. Hochul

A climate change organization tried something unique during the holiday season to tug at the heart strings of Gov. Kathy Hochul this week. They delivered illustrated letters to the governor’s midtown offices from children asking to include $10 billion for climate justice in this year’s state budget.

On Monday the NY Renews coalition and member organizations hand-delivered the letters and asked that New York’s political leaders to protect the future of youth by ensuring clean air and water, green union jobs and protection from the extreme weather due to the climate.

The letters, which were in holiday packaging, read: “The Climate, Jobs, & Justice Package will make New York a healthier, safer place for kids like me to grow up. It will help make sure that we have a bright future. I hope that you will stand with young people across the state by making this package your priority this year!”

“As parents, we want our kids to be healthy, safe, well-nourished, and happy,” said Laurel Tumarkin, co-leader of Climate Families NYC. “The climate crisis threatens all of that. But if we make the right investments and legislative choices, we know the future can be bright for all of our children.”

A ninth-grader at Baccalaureate School for Global Education, and member of youth climate group The Veggie Nuggets was proud of students’ efforts to get the word out about climate change.

“The kids’ letter writing campaign is one of the many powerful leverage tools we, the youth, can use to secure our future,” said Umed Maru. “It gives kids the chance to talk directly to our legislators and say what we want as future voters. I think these letters can help legislators see that climate change matters to youth and react with more rapid action than anyone might expect.”

Avery Cole, a mother of two young children, and co-leader of Climate Families NYC, said, “To my family, the holiday season is about the spirit of giving, and I want to stress to our law-makers that creating policies to try to ensure we pass on a livable planet is the ultimate gift. Please don’t forget that in the new legislative session.”

NY Renews is a coalition of more than 320 environmental justice, community, faith, labor, and multi-issue organizations fighting for just climate policy for New York residents.

Anti-rat T-shirt a hit

Ever since the city’s sanitation commissioner Jessica Tisch laid down the gauntlet to rid the five boroughs of the “murine menace,” her words have become a battle cry.

“The rats don’t own this city — we do,” were the words Tisch used as she announced in October an effort to reduce the amount of time trash sits on the city’s streets. Tisch’s department went one step further by working with Only NY, an independent clothing brand, to make T-shirts with the commissioner’s iconic phrase. In fact, the sales have been so good that the window to order was extended to the end of the year from Dec. 4.

“The rats are absolutely going to hate this T-shirt, just as much as they hate the steps we’re taking to shut down their all-night, all-you-can-eat buffet,” Tisch said.

She was referring to DSNY’s multipronged effort to get the rat food out of the black garbage bags and to get the bags off the street for more hours of the day.

The T-shirt was designed by Sanitation Worker Sebastian Mejias, who currently serves the people of Brooklyn’s Community Board 5.

To pre-order a shirt before the end of 2022, visit onlyny.com