On May 1st, Free University, March against Monsanto, CUNY Divest as well as many other groups joined together at Madison Square Park and held what is known as May Day to celebrate their 3rd year festivity. This Event was held just a few blocks away from Baruch College’s Vertical Campus located at 23rd and Lexington. This is where a lot of people gathered and formed different groups to discuss social issues . Protesters and activists had different things they wanted to fight for. Some fought for worker’s rights, political change and others fought for a change in the educational system.
One of the groups that was participating was a group called CUNY Divest. This group is about students, professors, and other types of people who work at CUNY that want CUNY to divest from fossil fuels.
Fossil fuels such have the ability to damage the environment and built areas. Fossil fuels also contain radioactive materials, mainly uranium and thorium, which are released into the atmosphere. These things can have a very harmful affect on the climate which is a concern of this group.
“Well I’m doing this because I think well first of all I think climate change is a huge issue going on right now and I think that the people responsible for climate change, the fossil fuel companies, are jerks, they are damaging communities, they are extracting resources from the earth to the point where its creating this climate change and it is affecting the global climate. It’s creating droughts, flooding, extreme natural disasters and I just think that our school shouldn’t profit from the use of fossil fuels.” says Denise Lescano, member of the CUNY Divest.
In the 1980’s, US coal burning supposedly released an extremely large amount of radioactivity into the atmosphere which was said to be more than the Three Mile Island incident. The incident mentioned was told to be at least 50 tonnes, possibly more which is still a very dangerous amount of radioactivity pumped into the atmosphere. If coal burning was reported to be worse, then one can only imagine how much of the radioactivity was pumped through the air. The effects of what radioactivity can do to the human body can vary as shown during the Chernobyl incident in Russia which is still affecting that area severely.
CUNY Divest participants are very worried that the continued investment in fossil fuels will affect the students, faculty workers are and will impact everything from the environment.
A participant from another group By the name Mickey Z, is also worried that animals in the city such as the horses that pull the carriages around are inhaling dangerous fumes. The horses are inhaling dangerous exhaust fumes from cars which are fossil fuels.
“The number one priority is how the animals feel because they are the ones stuck living in tiny stables, standing all day on concrete, their noses close to exhaust fumes, pulling around carts and they’re not getting anything for it while the tourist industry and drivers are getting something. I think the priority is the animals needs.” says Mickey Z.
Common fossil fuels are: coal, oil, and natural gas. Gasoline which is used in cars is just refined oil and when burned, causes CO2 to rise up into the air which in turn causes warming and holes in the O-Zone.
If this stuff is harming the O-Zone with the large amounts of it the human population puts into the air, we can presume that in NYC alone, this is bad for the horses carrying carts.
Mickey Z states him and his group deals with fur trades, puppy mills and more of these types of things. By giving this information out to the people who come by, he is educating everyone of the harm animals are being put through on a daily basis with the exhaust fumes, fossil fuels powering the factories that make the furs for the fur trades. Yet despite all of these things, tourists and the carriage drivers are making money.
Free University was on of the co-founding groups in This years Mayday and has been participating since May 1st, 2011. Free University was created to present a critical alternative to what colleges and universities can look like and also be used as a objection to tuition hikes for students. Providing free education to those who want it helps give a chance to challenge the fossil fuel and pollution controversy as well as keep people aware of animal rights and controversies such as the case with Monsanto and other companies.
