One Astoria councilman is hosting a local rally for climate action the day before a nationwide march is set to take place in Washington, D.C.
Councilman Costa Constantinides, who is also the chair of the council’s committee on environmental protection, will host the People’s Climate Rally on April 28 at Astoria Park Great Lawn on Shore Boulevard and 23rd Avenue. The event will take place at 6:30 p.m. and Constantinides will take about his 6-point Personal Action Climate Plan to encourage his constituents on steps they can take to combat climate change.
Attendees will also “send off” those who are planning to attend the People’s Climate March in Washington, D.C. the next day. Similar, to the Women’s March on Washington, which took place in January, the event will also have sister marches in cities throughout the country.
According to a newsletter sent by the councilman, his rally will be held to “stand up for our planet and our values that environmental protection and combating climate change is necessary.”
It is co-sponsored by Assemblywoman Aravella Simotas, New York League of Conservation Voters, Astoria Park Alliance and Astoria March, the local version of the larger march in Washington, D.C. All rally attendees will receive a free reusable bag from the Department of Sanitation.
On April 5, City Council passed comprehensive environmental justice legislation sponsored by Constantinides and Councilwoman Inez Barron. The package of bills require the Department of Environmental Protection and Department of Mental Health and Hygiene identify and study environmental justice communities and the sources and impacts of pollution on those communities and how city policy can help residents implement renewable energy and other climate solutions.
An inter-agency group will help ensure that these communities have access to environmental protection and benefits such as green space, waterfront access and infrastructure. New York City became the first in the nation to pass environmental justice legislation after President Trump’s inauguration.
“As the recent executive order on climate shows, the Trump administration will choose fossil fuels over our public health and safety,” Constantinides said when the bills were passed. “It’s up to cities to make combating climate change and reducing pollution a top priority.”
Constantinides is also advocating for power plants in New York City to start using cleaner fuel. He, along with Councilman Ritchie Torres, created an online petition that calls for cleaner power generation.
More than 50 percent of the city’s power comes from power plants located in Astoria and Long Island City. The Environment New York Research & Policy Center found in 2014 that the Ravenswood Generating Station in Long Island City was the largest carbon polluter in the state.
