Holding homemade signs and shouting rally cries calling for the unequivocal respect of public lands, University of Wyoming students and others made their stance on environmentalism known in a protest march through town on Tuesday.
Organized by the Sustainability Coalition, the Sierra Club and MEChA (Movimiento Estudantil Chicanx de Aztlán), the Earth Day protest aimed to celebrate the Earth and bring attention to environmental issues facing public lands in Laramie and the wider United States. Starting at 4 P.M., a crowd of students, parents and civilians gathered outside of the Union. Using a megaphone, several speakers addressed the crowd and reminded them of the indigenous lands they stood upon, as well as providing the intentions for the protest. Benjamin Piña, a co-chair of MEChA, also spoke, sharing his experiences with environmental work and the overall impact and importance of protesting.
Hannah Glenn, co-leader of the Sustainability Coalition who had spoken to the crowd, provided context for the rally in an interview, stating, “We are protesting all the [negative] changes to public lands…like, public lands being opened up for the use of oil and gas.” She then added her reasoning for being there, stating, “I care about the Earth. It’s where we live. It’s where lots of animals and species live, and if we don’t take care of it, then the future generations won’t have it.”
Shayla Babits, president of the Environmental Natural Resources Club and member of the Sierra Club, shared her insights on the rally. “We’re here to, first of all, celebrate Earth Day, but also to advocate for our climate and issues in Laramie, like public lands…As an environmental student, I’m super passionate about our individual voices and the impact they can have. I think it’s super important to show up to things like these.” On if she foresaw any impacts from the protesting, she replied, “Well, I hope that even just people walking by campus are seeing us. If anything, it’s a good opportunity for the people of the community to get together. I think community building is super important for environmental issues.”
Other students espoused similar sentiments, such as junior Curtis Richins. Majoring in Environmental Natural resources and Environmental System Sciences, he spoke confidently, saying, “I helped organize the event with the Sustainability Coalition and the Sierra Club. I care about the Earth and want to play in my fun spaces and have free air.” He also added his thoughts on the University of Wyoming’s stance on environmental issues. “I think the University of Wyoming could do with funding and believing more in taking advantage of all of the resources that we have in Wyoming. I mean, we’re a state with lots of public lands. We’re a state that loves the Earth. Our institutions should be more representative of that.” Sophomore Austin Qullinan also chimed in, stating, “Right now, I’m really just fired up about climate action, and how unwilling the current administration is to do anything about it. I’m also really pissed about executive orders dealing with overturning the [EPA’s] Endangerment Finding. I mean, that [expletive] is stupid…You know, I think it really matters to get the youth out on the streets and angry about this kind of thing. The whole reason we have any of this climate litigation in the first place is because of these exact kinds of protests that were happening in the 1970s, and if one thing worked before, it’ll definitely work again.”
At around 4:30 P.M., the crowd of protestors began their march through Laramie, trekking through the sidewalks of East Grand Avenue. While passing ACE Hardware, Peter Stahl, a remote worker for the U.S Forest Service, rushed out to thank the protesters for supporting him and his passion. The marchers eventually arrived at the Laramie Railroad Depot, where several different environmental protection groups awaited them. Soup was served, with many students sitting down with their peers while parents sat down with their children, all seemingly content with their efforts.
