MARCH FOR SCIENCE NYC
USES SCIENCE TO EMPOWER ACTIVISM
On Earth Day seven years ago, scientists and supporters of science flooded the streets of hundreds of cities worldwide to call for funding of scientific research and government policies based on the findings of such science. The historic March for Science, attended by forty thousand people in New York City, reinvigorated a movement of science activism that continues to grow; since that day in 2017, the march’s satellite organizers around the globe have continued to advocate for scientists’ representation in decision making at all levels.
In New York City, organizers have focused their attention on local and statewide issues. The volunteer-run satellite, under the name March for Science NYC, is dedicated to using science for the common good. Together, their group trains STEM students and scientists in civic engagement strategies and builds community among scientists, educators, and decision-makers. Since 2017, March for Science NYC has hosted voter registration drives for academic STEM departments, published op-eds on local issues, and supported other local movements aligned with their mission for social justice.
“Our motto is to educate to empower,” says Ingrid Paredes, Executive Director of March for Science NYC. “We believe that as scientists, we have a responsibility to educate ourselves and our communities about the relationship between our work and society and to use that knowledge in service to our city.”
No issue has made the relationship between science and society clearer to New Yorkers than climate change. The world’s leading climate scientists have long reported the need for governance and technologies for sustainable development; in New York, where floods and wildfire smoke are stark symptoms of the climate crisis, residents largely support climate action. March for Science NYC has therefore dedicated much of its resources to educating New Yorkers about climate. This has meant continuing to rally and march, supporting local contingents of groups, including Fridays for Future, Sunrise Movement, and XR Scientists. It has meant writing policy memos, meeting with city council officials, and supporting policies like capping building emissions and a common climate education requirement in New York.
It has also meant meeting New Yorkers where they are – which, in the spring, is often out in one of the city’s parks. Since 2020, March for Science NYC has supported the Earth Day Initiative annual Earth Day Festival in Union Square. The festival features dozens of organizations, local entertainment, and family-friendly activities, all dedicated to climate and sustainability. The free, public event provides a platform for organizations to raise awareness for their mission, foster relationships among local groups, and recruit new members to the climate movement.
“The festival is an entry point for people who want to get involved and just need the space to find their people,” says Paredes. “I hope people attend the festival and realize that they can become a climate activist. Everyone can be a climate activist.”
At the festival, March for Science NYC makes sustainability tangible through workshops hosted by local partners. In recent years, they have brought climate scientists from local academic institutions to host public office hours, discussed career opportunities in sustainability, and written letters to local officials about climate policies.
This year, the workshop series will highlight the intersections of science, activism, and art. “Art can be a powerful form of science communication, and it’s a way to explore sustainability that we can each experience,” says Alyssa Shearer, Director of Programming for March for Science NYC. Artist and educator Lolo Ostia will be hosting a workshop on sustainable art practices where attendees can learn how to make and work with bioplastics, SCOBY leather, and mycelium. Other workshops will help attendees explore how to reuse and repurpose scrap materials to create climate zines and discuss and swap books themed around climate and sustainability.
For folks to continue the conversation beyond the festival, Earth Day Initiative and March for Science NYC have created an annual video series that streams live each year on Twitch. Similar to its in-person component, the livestream hopes to be an entry point for viewers hoping to find community within the climate movement. Speakers for this year’s stream will include representatives from organizations including Global Optimism, the National Wildlife Federation, and the New York League of Conservation Voters.
One segment will focus on ongoing efforts to pass a bill to update NY state K-12 education standards to include more curricula focused on climate change across disciplines, not just in the science classroom. Emily Fano from the National Wildlife Foundation and the Climate and Resilience Education Task Force (CRETF) speaks with Shearer about evidence documenting the current lack of sufficient climate education in our state, how to support teacher development, benefits for students, and what you can do to support this initiative. Similar efforts to enhance climate education are already being implemented in NYC and in other states, so students in NY state should not be left behind.
“Climate solutions need to be intersectional, bringing together expertise from different fields. So students must learn solutions from many angles and from diverse voices to strengthen the climate solutions we create,” says Shearer.
For March for Science NYC, the accessibility of the Earth Day Festival and Virtual Stage is a part of the message itself. “We hope to inspire people to realize that climate activism and education can happen anywhere, not just in a classroom wearing a lab coat,” says Shearer.