On Thursday, March 23, Brandeis students and faculty in the Environmental Studies Program gathered in a rally to raise awareness about climate change. The event was originally planned to take place on the Usdan Lawn, but was moved to the Shapiro Student Center (SCC) Atrium due to rain. Many students brought posters, and materials were available for participants to make signs as well. Food from Chipotle was offered at the event, and several students and faculty members spoke about the importance of climate action, with chanting of slogans occurring throughout. The event took place from 2:20 to 3:40 p.m.
Remarking on the common debate between individual and collective action against climate change, professor Prakash Kashwan (ENVS) pointed out that “there is no collective without the individual.” He argued that the two shouldn’t be pitted against each other, but that an “all-of-the-above” approach is needed to combat climate change. Individuals should stand and work with communities most affected by climate change, Kashwan continued. “Climate justice is climate action, and climate action is climate justice.”
Next, Tyler Caine ’25 read a poem called “Inheritance” by John Agard. The poem lamented the fact that “the children of the meek” are going to inherit a damaged earth, and asked the question of whether we “should … dance or break into gnashing of teeth at the news of our inheritance?”
Leaders of the Students for Environmental Action (SEA) club Malia Cafasso ’24, Sabrina Machtay ’24 and Leo Zhang ’25 then spoke about a study event the club was putting on later that day, and encouraged students to get involved if they were interested in climate action.
Graduate student Ariel Hyre MPP’23 then got up to speak, pointing out that “climate tech alone is not going to save us. It is a necessary but not sufficient part of what we have to do to turn this ship around,” they said. “There is no silver bullet for this, as much as we wish there were.” They also emphasized the importance of an “everything and the kitchen sink” approach, saying that individuals should leverage their power as students, consumers and members of their community in the fight against climate change.
Professor Sabine von Mering (ENVS/GRALL) attended the rally in her signature polar bear suit, or her “alter ego” as she called it. She began by leading students in singing a “song for the climate,” sung to the tune of the anti-fascist song Bella Ciao and featuring the refrain, “We need to build a better future, and we need to start right now.” She then introduced attendees to another refrain: after asking participants what worried them about climate change, she responded, “don’t agonize, organize.” “I learned this from [Senator] Ed Markey,” von Mering said. She then spoke about the 25th anniversary event for the Center for German and European Studies (CGES), an all-day conference on “Beginning to End the Climate Crisis,” featuring a keynote address by 350.org co-founder Bill McKibben. The event, which included the launch of a book with the same name, was held in Sherman Function Hall on Thursday, March 30.
Von Mering encouraged students to organize around environmental issues on campus and to pressure the administration to act, as the university is more likely to listen to students than faculty. She pointed out that Brandeis still uses JPMorgan Chase Bank as its main bank, and Chase is “the worst bank … in terms of climate,” according to von Mering. “They have been investing billions in new fossil fuel extractions since the signing of the Paris Accords.”
Von Mering also advocated for increased climate education at Brandeis, saying that the university’s most recent climate action plan found that 5% of Brandeis students who graduate are climate literate. One of the 2020 Recommendations to the President from the President’s Task Force on Campus Sustainability included improving climate change and sustainability education, and advocated for the development of “a climate literacy requirement for all undergraduates in the Brandeis Core.” According to the Office of Sustainability website, “In 2021, President Liebowitz announced formal adoption of the majority of the Task Force’s recommendations.”
Kashwan took to the mic again to thank von Mering for speaking and to encourage students to use their research to advocate for climate action, specifically by pointing out that climate action may be beneficial economically in the long term. Many times, universities are hesitant to make sustainability changes because of the cost, but the cost of not acting may be higher in the long run, Kashwan argued. He said that students studying any discipline, including political or social science, can and should be involved in the fight for climate action.
When asked about the intention of the climate rally, Sarah Eckstein Indik ’24, an Undergraduate Departmental Representative (UDR) for the Environmental Studies Program, said that the main goal of the event was “to activate the student body to organize again, because there’s been a bit of a lull. But it is the Year of Climate Action, and we want it to be clear that the students are investing their time and their voices, and they want the administration to know where we stand.” She also emphasized the dual importance of individual and collective action. Charlene Duong ’23, another Environmental Studies UDR, highlighted the importance of the rally as an “outlet” for students both to listen and learn, as well as speak if they feel inclined. Duong pointed out that many students experience feelings of climate grief, despair and anxiety, and spaces such as rallies can be a time to stand in solidarity.
At the end of the event, Eckstein Indik led attendees outside to march in front of the Bernstein-Marcus Administration Center. Participants chanted slogans such as “No more coal, no more oil, leave the carbon in the soil” and “Don’t agonize, organize,” picking up on von Mering’s earlier refrain. Caine spoke again in front of the Gryzmish Center, criticizing the university for investing with JPMorgan Chase: “why is our institution of higher learning using our tuition dollars to fund our own destruction and the destruction of our children?”
The event was held as part of Brandeis’ Year of Climate Action.
