Community members from the College and Town gathered at a rally in front of the First Congregational Church (FCC) on Sept. 20 to call for global climate action. The FCC organized the event in solidarity with the national March To End Fossil Fuels, which drew tens of thousands of people to New York City streets on Sept. 17.
A variety of Williams town-based environmental organizations and offices at the College – including the Williamstown CO2 Lowering (COOL) Committee and the Zilkha Center – also sponsored the rally, which saw a turnout of about 50 people.
The FCC’s Community Outreach Organizer Bridget Spann invited community members to a meeting to discuss bringing back climate rallies, which the church often hosted prior to the pandemic.
“There was a lot of excitement saying we have got to get back on track with climate demonstrations,” said Spann, who then took charge of planning the event. The event opened with a group of speakers, who shared rallying cries for climate action and personal motivations for their activism.
Aliza Cotton ’26, sustainability coordinator for the Williams College Jewish Association, called attention to the recent noticeable effects of climate change: Devastating floods hit parts of Vermont in July and poor air quality blanketed large swaths of the Northeast throughout the summer.
Joey Pisani, a senior at Gateway Regional High School, also explained that in recent weeks, high schools across the region have had to send students home early or close for the day because of the unusually hot and humid temperatures.
“We are at a point right now where we don’t have a choice but to fight like hell for our future,” he said.
After 20 minutes, the crowd made its way from the FCC to Field Park, during which Pisani led chants including “Climate action now!” to marchers behind him. Once at Field Park, members of the crowd held handmade signs for passing cars to see.
For Spann, who lives at and works on Caretaker Farm, the effects of climate change and extreme weather faced by Berkshire Country residents over the past few months have a personal urgency.
“We’re lucky for every vegetable we’ve been able to produce,” she said. Wendy Penner, the chair of Williamstown’s COOL Committee, said she attended the march to bring attention to demands made by organizers in New York, including calls to stop burning fossil fuels, end oil drilling on federal lands, and stand up to those who say clean energy is not an attainable solution.
“I was in my 20s when I first learned about climate change, and I’m almost 59 now,” she said. “There’s just no excuse for the lollygagging that’s been happening.”
At the June 2021 Town Meeting, Williamstown adopted the COOL Committee’s Net Zero Resolution. Penner has since continued to serve as a member of a working group that is creating an action plan to help the Town reach its goal of net-zero emissions.
Williamstown resident Jody Green, who is a member of the FCC, said that given the Town’s commitments to net-zero emissions, she was more concerned about national climate policies. “We can’t do it alone,” she said. “The whole United States government can do more.”
Pisani echoed Green’s sentiment. “We’re not at a place where any institution is doing everything that it truly can do to combat the effects of climate change,” he said. “Yes, we’re here in Williamstown today, but this is a message for the globe.”
