Skidmore Students March to End Fossil Fuels
“The oceans are rising, and so are we. The oceans are rising, and so are we.” 75,000 people chanted this mantra at the March to End Fossil Fuels in New York City on September 17th, 2023. Students, parents, teachers, scientists, and community leaders all marched in solidarity – among them were 55 representatives of Skidmore College.
Grace Coale ‘25 and I are co-presidents of Skidmore’s Environmental Action Club (EAC). Our goal
for this year is to create an environment where students feel comfortable and emboldened
to share their ideals for change on Skidmore campus and beyond. We hope that our club
will help give voice to the climate concerns of our fellow students. Thus, we dedicated
the last few weeks of our summers to organizing Skidmore’s small role in the adventure
of the March to End Fossil Fuels. With help from Jen Natyzak of Skidmore’s Sustainability
Office, we decided that this march would be a good avenue for us to begin instilling
enthusiasm in our club members and to provide our peers with an opportunity that would
connect them to a larger climate-conscious community. 
Organizing Skidmore's attendance at the march was a collaboration between multiple departments and offices. We would like to extend our thanks towards the following sponsors who helped us arrange transportation: the Sustainability Office, the Geosciences Department, the English Department, the Management and Business Department, the Sociology Department, the Environmental Studies and Sciences Department, and the Biology Department. Our bus to the city had 55 seats and they were filled with students from a multitude of academic disciplines and interests, united by the common goal of climate activism. Additionally, we would like to recognize the six community members that joined us on this journey. Coming from the Saratoga Progressives (a group who is active in the region working with zero waste and community engagement), Joe, Lisa, Katie, Bernice, Anne, and Maureen were a wonderful addition to our day.
It was 8:45 on a Sunday morning when the sleepy Skidmore students congregated in front of Case Center to meet our bus. We all held cardboard signs, many of which were painted and decorated at our “poster-making party” the Friday before. They read messages such as “Make Love, Not CO2,” “Stop Fueling the Flame,” and “Keep Fossil Fuels Fossilized!” The bus ride was filled with quiet chatter as students who were strangers an hour before, began to bond over the shared anticipation and excitement regarding the event. About four hours into our journey, a collective cheer went up as the New York city skyline became visible to us. We exited the security of our Skidmore bus and ventured out into the throng, ready to join those who care about change as deeply as we do.
It is difficult to describe the myriad emotions of being part of that crowd. We marched,
we sang, and we shouted to the beating of drums and feet and passion. For three hours,
we moved throughout New York City, looking into the eyes of journalists, passersby,
and people waving from their upstairs windows. We stood together at the final rally,
looking up at the stage to hear the words of the march’s leaders; including those
of Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
The bus ride home was quiet, our legs and minds exhausted from such a long day. I am so proud of the Skidmore students and friends who joined us in the city. We were part of something so special and loud. In an event that was broadcasted across the country, we contributed our Skidmore voices to chant alongside tens of thousands of others: “the oceans are rising, and so are we.”
- Margot Kelly '25
