“Trees are awesome,” said Mayor Justin Elicker at the celebration. “They are beautiful, they’re wonderful for the environment because they suck in carbon so we can help reduce the impacts of climate change, they shade our neighborhoods to keep our cities cooler [and] they provide habitat for the birds that we’re hearing right now. We need many, many more trees in our city.”

Thanks to a $2.6 million grant from the U.S. Forest Service through the Inflation Reduction Act, the URI is going to be planting 1,000 trees per year for the next five years, up from the 500 it planted in 2023. URI has been planting trees for at least the last 20 years. 

In addition to the first tree planted in Kimberly Field Park, which is the largest park in New Haven’s Hill neighborhood, Colleen Murphy-Dunning — the director of URI — announced plans to plant a total of 30 trees in the park this week.

“Yale researchers have studied satellite images of New Haven and found that some of our neighborhoods, like Fair Haven and the Hill, can have surface temperatures that are 20 degrees hotter than other New Haven neighborhoods because they have less trees and less parkland,” Murphy-Dunning said.

The remaining 970 trees will be planted in the types of neighborhoods Murphy-Dunning referenced that have fewer trees and hotter temperatures due to climate change. 

Murphy-Dunning also announced that the URI is working with IRIS — Integrated Refugee & Immigration Services — which will help spread the word about the opportunity to have a tree planted for free in backyards, parks, schools and wherever residents want them.

“We only plant trees where people want them. We will plant for a resident, a school, a park [or] a business. Any institution who would like a free tree, we will plant it for you — if you promise to love and care for that tree by just watering it once a week,” Murphy-Dunning announced to the crowd. “So, we ask the public’s help in fighting climate change and growing our green workforce by requesting a tree from URI.”

In addition to the trees being planted, the city and URI, thanks to a $60,000 grant from the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, will also be making improvements to Kimberly Park. 

The other improvements to Kimberly Field will include upgrading the park trail, installing benches and trash cans, resurfacing the basketball court, improving the entrance between the school and park and planting other flowers and shrubs.

“For the last couple years, our community has poured its heart and soul into advocating for this park, a space that holds so much meaning for all of us. We all know Kimberly Field hasn’t gotten the attention it deserves, and this is a story we see repeated across the city,” Crystal Fernández,  co-founder of Friends of Kimberly Park, said. “Neighborhoods most impacted by environmental injustice often lack access to quality parks. This project is a symbol of our collective power.”

Kimberly Field Park is located next to the Betsy Ross Arts Magnet School parking lot, which uses the park for student recreation.

Principal Jennifer Jenkins mentioned that many families and members of the community walk or ride their bikes in the school parking lot for exercise, so she was glad to see this park become something that can be a part of their daily lives. 

“It is beautiful to see [this project] finally come to fruition,” Jenkins said. “It is just like with trees: we always see the big end result, but we don’t always see how the roots are planted into the ground. So I must say the process of getting here is definitely much like these trees being planted today.”  

The Urban Resources Initiative began in Baltimore in 1989. 

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So far, not including numbers from January, February or March, the program has diverted 4,225 pounds, Michelle Martinelli, the Energy and Sustainability Manager for NHPS, told the News.

The pilot program started in September at New Haven Academy and Barnard Environmental Science & Technology School, in November at High School in the Community, and in December at John S. Martinez School. 

The composting program began when NHPS Chief Operating Officer Thomas Lamb tasked Martinelli with creating a unified, district-wide composting program, rather than having individual schools facilitate their own composting policies. 

Individual schools have previously had composting programs, such as partnerships with Peels and Wheels, but this is the first implementation of a unified district policy. Meanwhile, advocates with the New Haven Climate Movement have pushed for expanded composting in schools to the Board of Education.

When Blue Earth Compost, a food scrap collection service for the Northeast region, asked Martinelli if NHPS would be interested in an 18-month pilot, Martinelli “jumped at the chance,” she said.

Each week, Blue Earth Compost provides the schools with large bins for food scraps and collects the bins at the end of the week. Students are encouraged to complete the separation of food scraps from trash on their own. Blue Earth sells the compost on its website.

“At New Haven Academy, I believe they’re filling up two large bins every day,” Martinelli said. 

When it comes to the educational aspect of the pilot, Farm2X, a company that works with schools on farm-to-table programming, is instructing teachers how to oversee the composting process. Farm2X also facilitates student involvement in the composting programs by encouraging students to play an active role in making sure they’re composting their own food waste. 

According to Samuel King, the Chief Financial Officer of Blue Earth Compost, the pilot is being funded by a grant from ReFED — a national nonprofit working to end food loss and waste. 

“New Haven joins about ten other schools throughout the state that are also doing this grant, but New Haven is our biggest school district that we’re working with and has the most schools that we’re working with,” King told the News. 

While the composting process seems simple, according to King, it does not run as smoothly as one may think. He said it takes a lot of “hand-holding” for schools to understand how to run the composting programs with complete student and administrator participation. 

Blue Earth also partners with Haven’s Harvest and Food Rescue US to provide food scraps to those who may want or need them before they get turned into compost. 

“Our hope is that in the coming years that we will be running these kinds of programs in all the schools in New Haven. Last year, a proposal was submitted to the school district for what that could look like, and Michelle Martinelli has been a pretty darn good advocate for it,” King said. “So we feel pretty confident that something will happen.” 

As an advocate of the composting program, Martinelli has spoken to students in environmental clubs at schools across New Haven. 

Rosie Hampson, a senior at Wilbur Cross High School and activist with the New Haven Climate Movement, told the News that Martinelli came to speak to her environmental club about composting and recycling programs. 

“She really highlighted a lot of the benefits of the initiative,” Hampson said. 

Blue Earth Compost was started in 2013.

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At the meeting, the committee held a public hearing to discuss lawn pesticides and artificial turf and heard an update from the New Haven Climate Movement about the city’s progress in implementing the New Haven Community Electrification Resolution, which was passed three years ago and requires the city to develop and adhere to a schedule for replacing several infrastructure systems with electric alternatives. Laura Cahn, the chair of the city’s Environmental Advisory Committee, presented on pesticides and urged the city to rethink its system of licensing officials that use pesticides. New Haven Climate Movement representative Krishna Davis ’25 and Steve Winter, New Haven’s Office of Climate and Sustainability director, testified about electrification.

“The planet is gasping for air, and we are holding a plastic bag around it,” Cahn said, describing the urgency of her environmental work.

Cahn suggests goats, leaf blower regulations to curb pesticide use

Although the Board of Alders previously passed a resolution implementing a “voluntary ban” on lawn chemicals, Cahn testified that many residents still use pesticides on their lawns. Because Connecticut state law prohibits municipalities from actually banning pesticides, the Board’s resolution was largely symbolic.

Cahn pointed to Tweed New Haven Airport as a large user of pesticides because the Federal Aviation Association requires the airport to keep its sidelines clear. Cahn suggested using goats as an alternative to chemicals to keep out invasive plants. The city has previously used goats to clear invasive plant growth in Edgewood Park in 2018 — which Cahn also claims was her idea.

“They did such a good job eating the invasive species, they sent them home early,” Cahn said. “They are a huge visitor draw because they’re lovely goats — you just have to be careful not to let them out where they can eat your flowers.”

Cahn cautioned about the potential for leaf blowers to spread pesticide toxins, especially when pesticides are used near schools or residential areas.

She said that pesticides are commonly used on utility infrastructure like railroads and electric lines, and on golf courses and athletic fields. 

“Golf was invented in Scotland,” Cahn said. “Obviously they didn’t use pesticides in Scotland on their golf courses and so the fact that we’ve adopted their sport and tried to make it work in our territory by using these artificial means is very, very concerning,” Cahn said.

She also claimed that several of the employees she has seen applying pesticides are not licensed by the state to do so. If a company is licensed, Cahn claimed, not every employee will be individually certified.

In that vein, Cahn advocated for the city to make a registry of every licensed lawn care and landscaping company, to keep track of their use of pesticides and make sure that they don’t magnify the risk of the chemicals by using leaf blowers.

“New Haven does not know who is doing these things in our city,” Cahn said. 

Cahn also warned the committee about the danger of artificial turf, which requires pesticides for its maintenance. Artificial turf is used for athletic fields throughout the city.

After Cahn concluded her presentation, Alder Kianna Flores ’25 asked about education campaigns to raise awareness of the danger of pesticides and their continued use. In response, Cahn said that she has not come up with an effective way to educate people, because she believes people do not want to fully comprehend something that is so bad for them.

“I don’t think it’s by accident that nobody knows about this,” Cahn said. “I’m pretty sure it is a dedicated advertising campaign, just like cigarettes, just like alcohol, to get you to do something toxic to yourself.” 

Cahn then provided an update on the EAC’s current work, which includes monitoring initiatives such as a private recycling facility on the water, bird-safe building legislation, Tweed’s expansion, greenspace in public housing developments, garbage from Long Wharf food trucks and the possibility of a statewide ban on nip bottles that contain small quantities of alcohol.

Update from New Haven Climate Movement, electrification goals

Following Cahn’s presentation, Krishna Davis ’25 spoke on behalf of the New Haven Climate Movement’s Electric Future Committee about the city’s progress towards meeting the electrification goals it laid out in its 2021 electrification resolution. 

“We cannot meet our 2030 climate goals without persistent efforts of the city aligned with the commitments made in the electrification resolution in 2021,” Davis said. 

Although he recognized the city’s efforts to electrify some buildings, Davis called for the city to incentivize developers of new buildings in New Haven to only use electric sources of energy and report their carbon emissions to both the city and the public throughout the entire development process. 

According to Davis, the Electric Future Committee has found that only three of nearly 50 new construction projects in New Haven in the last 10 years have been completely electric.

Davis also said that other cities with climate goals similar to New Haven like Ithaca, New York which he said have taken more serious action to increase electrification.

“New Haven should follow Ithaca’s lead and cities like Ithaca, and make electrification a serious policy priority,” he said.

In response to Davis’ requests, Alder Festa reminded the audience that a new electric refuse truck should be arriving in New Haven soon. This new garbage truck will be arriving thanks to a grant that Steve Winter, director of the Office of Climate and Sustainability, applied for. He has since applied for another grant in hopes of securing a second refuse vehicle for New Haven. 

Following Davis’ presentation, Winter discussed the progress the city has made since passing the electrification resolution nearly three years ago.

For one, the city has worked to electrify its light fleet, purchasing seven Chevrolet Volts for city officials to use. According to Winter, New Haven will receive a $7,500 check directly from the federal government for each Volt they purchased. He also said that for every heavy-duty vehicle the city purchases, such as refuse vehicles, the federal government would write New Haven a check for 30 percent of the cost, with a cap of $40,000 per vehicle. 

The Office of Climate and Sustainability has also been working with The City Plan Department to write zoning language that incentivizes developments to be constructed completely electrically. He discussed a point system that will grant developers density bonuses for their projects.

“You can get five points if it’s all-electric, five points if it’s mass timber, and if you’ve got something that has solar, timber and all-electric, as well, you can get 12 points,” he said, regarding the point system. “And the 12 points are important thresholds where you get a density bonus.”

Winter also discussed his progress in outfitting buildings with heat pumps to replace gas heating systems. So far, the Office of Climate and Sustainability has worked on retrofitting community centers, youth recreation centers and senior centers with heat pumps. 

Alder Festa is the chair of the CSEP committee.

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The extension plans to connect the intersection of East Street and Water Street to the East Haven town line on South End Road. The project is also set to link East Shore neighborhoods to parks, amenities and the broader New Haven transportation infrastructure. 

“You’ve got the Farmington Canal Line to the Shoreline Greenway connecting all the East Shore parks together, creating a really safe and enjoyable path for commuting for recreation, for health, for being a way to connect to your neighbors, to run into people from the neighborhood, and really enhance the sense of connection and community that a lot of paths and things like that really bring,” Giovanni Zinn, an engineer for the City of New Haven, said regarding the local and regional significance of the project. “I think that’s something I certainly noticed, especially during the pandemic, that I got out of my house where I met all my neighbors, and it was a really simple way to build community in our neighborhoods.”

The city has received $9.3 million in funding for the Shoreline Greenway project. Approximately $7 million comes from the federal government, and over $2 million comes from Connecticut’s bond funds. 

Mayor Justin Elicker gave special thanks to the delegation that helped secure the federal funds, acknowledging Rep. Rosa DeLauro — who represents Connecticu’s third congressional district — and Connecticut senators Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy. 

“Particular thanks to not just Rosa and Senator Blumenthal, but Chris Murphy was really key to us getting this $7 million of funding,” Elicker said in the presentation. 

Elicker also mentioned that not only will the extension of the trail facilitate more bike and pedestrian travel, but also, in his most recent budget proposal, he requested funding for red light and speed cameras as another way to bolster bicycle and pedestrian transportation infrastructure. 

In their presentation, city officials presented their plans for design to continue through 2024 and for construction to start in 2025. 

“We’re really excited to bring these two awesome regional assets of the Farmington Canal Line and Shoreline Greenway with this connection in green, which we’re calling the New Haven Shoreline Green line,” Zinn said. 

In creating this new trail, engineers are focusing on creating a path that is away from the street or protected by a curb or concrete barrier, provides enough adequate space for both pedestrians and bikers, minimizes disruption of neighborhoods, is a low-stress environment, is suitable for all ages and connects neighborhoods with nature. 

So far, the city has yet to accept and execute its grant agreements with its funding partners, complete traffic analysis design plans, apply for necessary permits, execute encroachment and land agreements with the state and complete its purchase of the necessary extra land for the path. Although officials said they hope to begin construction in 2025, Zinn warned that the necessary preparations that must precede construction are on an “aggressive schedule.”

Following his presentation of the city’s plans, Zinn asked for input from New Haven constituents.

“Wouldn’t it make more sense to go up Lighthouse [Road] and then go over to the right on Cove [Street] because Cove already has one side street parking?” Gloria Bellacicco, a New Haven resident, asked the city engineers.

Bellacicco recommended the City consider avoiding placing the path on streets with two-way parking so that it does not interfere with residents who have to park their cars on the streets because their homes do not have driveways.

Aaron Goode of the New Haven Friends of the Farmington Canal Greenway suggested that the trail do more to showcase the shoreline near East Shore Park and Forbes Bluff. Goode predicted that a lot of walkers will not want to follow the currently proposed route because they may want to go up Forbes Bluff and along the seawall for more scenic views. 

“I really think this is one of the signature sections of shoreline in New Haven. I think it’s the most signature shoreline in Connecticut to be quite frank,” he said. “I would be remiss not to say we want to showcase that part of the park in that part of our shoreline because it’s so spectacular.”

Another New Haven resident — Chris Ozyck — voiced concern about making sure the trail is designed to feel like a “special place.” 

“Part of that is trees. Part of that is architecture. Landscape architecture, resting spaces, things to say ‘here’s where you can find these amenities, where to get water’. You know, any of these things that make the experience feel like you’re cared for as you go from A to B,” Ozyck said. 

Ozyck also expressed his appreciation for the money and planning that is going into the creation of the trail.

The New Haven Shoreline Greenway will be approximately 4.4 miles long. 

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In January 2023, UNH welcomed the first student from Ukraine supported by the Ukrainian Student Support Fund. Kate Fedirko, who is from the city of Odesa in southern Ukraine, arrived at UNH as a transfer student and was awarded a scholarship supporting her tuition, fees and room and board for her five semesters at UNH. 

“My heartfelt gratitude extends to the University of New Haven community for granting me this invaluable opportunity,” Fedirko wrote in an email to the News. “Without it, the dream of pursuing higher education in the United States would have remained unattainable.”

Since arriving at UNH, she has become involved with the American Marketing Association Connecticut chapter and several on-campus organizations, such as the Marketing Club and Entrepreneurship Club. She wrote that she has also gotten the opportunity to network with industry professionals and serve the UNH community as a Transfer Peer Mentor.  

“The guidance of Ukrainian professors has been essential in navigating the intricacies of campus life and adapting to the American way of living,” Fedirko wrote. 

Currently, Fedirko is the only student from Ukraine to come to UNH with help from the Ukrainian Student Support Fund. In his announcement of the program, UNH Chancellor Steven Kaplan wrote that he hoped Fedirko would be the first of “several students” to matriculate from Ukraine.  

UNH is also home to a small group of students with Ukrainian roots, including a few who recently founded the school’s Ukrainian Club. 

“As we have a small [Ukrainian] population here at the University of New Haven, we as students try to meet at least once every month at the dining hall to talk about our time at the University, how our families are doing in Ukraine, and overall what we can do as students to better educate the student population at the University of New Haven,” Andrian Kadykalo, one of the founders of the Ukrainian Club, told the News. 

Fedirko also mentioned that she believes the Ukrainian Club is a great way for curious students to learn about Ukrainian culture.

Several members of the Ukrainian community at UNH said that they found the creation of the Ukrainian Student Support Fund to be meaningful.

“I’m very happy that UNH is wanting to expand their education outside of the U.S. by creating scholarships specially for students from Ukraine,” Nazar Kadykalo, another founder of the Ukrainian Club and Andrian’s brother, said. “Many students in Ukraine currently are no longer able to continue or start their education, as most universities are closed due to damages.” He described the scholarship program as “life-changing” for students in Ukraine. 

Despite the creation of the Student Support Fund, Fedirko and several members of the Ukrainian community at NH told the News that they still feel the University could be doing more to support Ukraine.

Andrian and Nazar Kadykalo both mentioned that at the beginning of the invasion, UNH held multiple talks about Ukrainian sovereignty, and many faculty members displayed Ukrainian flags around campus. Since then, they said that most of those talks and flags have disappeared from campus, much to their dismay.

Fedirko said she is hopeful that UNH will allocate more support for students like her to come from Ukraine to New Haven. 

“The scarcity of Ukrainian representation on campus weighs heavily on my heart, fostering a longing for greater inclusivity,” she wrote. “As one of the few Ukrainian students, I keenly feel the absence of Ukrainians here and recognize the untapped potential of bright minds back in Ukraine who yearn for similar opportunities.” 

As of Nov. 9, 2023, more than 3,790 educational facilities in Ukraine had been damaged or destroyed since Russia launched its full invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022. 

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On Monday afternoon, Jim Connolly, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, told the News that the National Weather Service was expecting eight to 10 inches of snow to fall in New Haven on Tuesday. 

According to Connolly, the National Weather Service uses American, European and Canadian data models to make its predictions. As the storm approaches, they have been able to use weather balloons, radar and satellites to make a more specific forecast. 

“Be kind to your neighbors. Look out for one another. Take a moment to shovel your neighbor’s sidewalk if you’re able to do so as well,” Mayor Justin Elicker said in a briefing on Monday afternoon. “We need a lot more kindness in this world, and this is an opportunity with the storm.”

During the briefing, Elicker and other city officials spoke about the city’s winter storm preparations. According to Elicker, a city-wide parking ban will be instated at 12:01 a.m. on Tuesday, and all Avelo flights in and out of Tweed New Haven Airport have been delayed by at least one day. 

New Haven Public Schools Superintendent Madeline Negrón also announced that all New Haven public schools and programs will be closed for the snow day but reminded families that children can still learn on their day off. 

“We just have to be closed tomorrow, but that doesn’t mean that learning has to stop,” Negrón said. “Find at least 20 minutes to pick up a book and read.”

In the briefing, Elicker assured listeners that the city is well prepared for the amount of snow that is expected to fall. According to Elicker, 33 trucks will be dispatched to clear the city — a typical amount for a storm of this size. 

City officials also reminded the public that the emergency operation center will be open tomorrow beginning at 6 a.m., and they encouraged the public to call the police department’s non-emergency number if they needed to discuss any issues. 

Elicker also encouraged New Haven residents to be patient and understanding with the snow plowing tomorrow as the trucks work to clear the entire city. It is possible that snow will be falling at a rate of one to three inches per hour on Tuesday morning, and snow may get plowed into residential driveways and sidewalks as the team works to clear narrow roads. 

Elicker concluded his briefing by thanking everyone who will be working Tuesday to keep New Haven residents safe. He credited Parks and Public Works, the fire department and the police department. 

While the range of forecasted snowfall in New Haven on Tuesday remained consistent throughout the day Monday, it fluctuated in other nearby areas. 

“North and West of New York City, we are drastically reducing the range,” Connolly said. “South of New Haven, in the Long Island Sound area, we were drastically increasing the forecast.”

The most snow ever recorded to fall in one day in New Haven was 24 inches on Feb. 20, 1934.

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The New Haven Climate Movement led the rally, demanding that the city hire staff to accelerate the move away from a car-centered transportation system, provide free bus passes for New Haven youth, electrify all bus fleets and create school programs that support cleaner transportation alternatives.

“Pollutants from cars, buses, trains, airplanes and many more forms of transportation act as the number one player in causing climate change,” Suprya Sakar, a member of the New Haven Climate Movement Youth Action Team, announced to the crowd. “As oil-filled cars fill up the streets, millions of people living within marginalized communities suffer from the consequences of such harmful pollutants.”

The event was also organized to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr.  and his peaceful political protests. Members of the New Haven Climate Movement gave credit to Dr. King for his work in paving the way for others to hold organized protests. 

The event also celebrated Transportation Equity Day and the United Nations’ new International Clean Energy Day, which was the same day as the rally.

“We dream of a public transportation system that is equitable and accessible, where all New Haveners, especially low-income students, have access to free bus passes, safe bike lanes and other forms of public and low-carbon transportation,” said Sophia Rivkin, another member of the New Haven Climate Movement.

The two advocates also announced their dreams for the New Haven government to serve its citizens over institutions, for a pollution-reducing transportation system, for the hiring of a city transportation planner and for the electrification of both city and school buses.

They emphasized that these dreams could become reality and encouraged attendees of the event to demand immediate action from the New Haven government. 

The New Haven Climate Movement also hosted various speakers from other organizations to share their dreams for the New Haven transportation system.

“What I truly dream of is a place where no student has to ride a yellow bus anymore because they have a safe way to get to school, whether that’s walking, biking or taking a city bus,” Joshua Glaab, president of the New Haven Bike Club and member of the New Haven Coalition for Active Transportation.

According to Glaab, the bike infrastructure in New Haven does not match that the bike was invented in the Elm City.

The rally also heard from Alex Rodriguez, the environmental justice specialist for Save the Sound, an organization that leads environmental action across the Long Island Sound region.

Rodriguez told the crowd that asthma, caused by extreme air pollution, is the leading cause of absenteeism in Connecticut public schools. He encouraged participants at the rally to demand complete electrification of cars and buses in Connecticut by 2040.

The rally concluded by sharing some of the dreams residents of New Haven had submitted to the New Haven Climate Movement for the future of transportation. These dreams included an effective and reliable transportation system and a focus on train and bus infrastructure for low income communities.

The patent for the modern bicycle was filed in New Haven in 1866.

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“Climate change can be an existential crisis for large numbers of people, and it’s going to be changing the world that our students are going to be living in,” Matthew Wilcox, vice president of the Board of Education said. “Of course, there’s never enough being done, but I’m reasonably happy with the things that the district’s doing.” 

Since the resolution passed, New Haven Public Schools has installed solar parking canopy systems to produce solar-powered electricity for two New Haven schools, Hill Central School and L.W. Beecher School. 

According to Wilcox, the school district has also replaced four heating, ventilation and air conditioning units and has plans for an upcoming energy audit.

However, with the climate emergency resolution pledging to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 100 percent by 2030, the Board of Education has a long way to go.

“Recently the district applied for bus electrification with a federal grant and we’re hopeful about that,” Superintendent Madeline Negrón said. 

Electrifying all school buses was specifically mentioned in the resolution and would have significant impacts on the district’s efforts to reduce transportation carbon emissions. 

According to Wilcox, the Board is also hoping to replace more inefficient HVACs with more modern ones.

However, many students, particularly those involved in the New Haven Climate Movement, are looking to do more, especially when it comes to increasing climate education and bettering the district’s recycling and composting programs.

Snigtha Mohanrag, a student at Engineering and Science University Magnet School, interns for the Climate Health Education Project, one of the New Haven Climate Movement’s youth initiatives. As an intern, she works with teachers to introduce climate education into their curricula. 

According to Mohanrag, climate education is severely lacking at New Haven schools, despite the district’s promise to fully implement it in the emergency resolution.

Other students across the district have also worked to increase their school’s composting and recycling efforts. 

According to Rosie Hampson, a senior at Wilbur Cross Cross High School, her school started an environment club to start composting and help with food redistribution. Since then, the club has also done cleanups, gardening and fundraisers for climate action. 

“We just want to show the Board of Education that these projects can be done,” Hampson said. 

Hampson, a member of the New Haven Climate Movement’s Climate Education Committee, said that students at multiple schools in New Haven had taken on similar projects.

Wilcox said that the board has spoken with members of the New Haven Climate Movement about efforts to be less wasteful with food recycling as well as about limiting prepackaged food or using compostable packaging. 

The New Haven Climate Movement has also recently introduced a petition for the Board of Education to allocate $300,000 to hire climate staff. According to Hampson, many students have signed this petition, and they will be hosting an event soon to promote this petition and lobby for more signatures. 

In their own climate resolution, the City of New Haven is committed to the effort to end community-wide greenhouse gas emissions by or before Dec. 31, 2030.

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The Conference of the Parties — the supreme climate governing body formed by the United Nations’ Framework Convention on Climate Change treaty, or COP — is holding its 28th annual summit. The conference, which began Nov. 30 and will run until Dec. 12, brings UN member states from almost 200 countries together to refine climate action plans.

“If you take a look at the universities who will be present at COP, I think Yale really punches above its weight,” Paul Simons, a senior fellow at the Jackson School of Global Affairs who teaches courses on energy and climate change policy, told the News.

According to Simons, many of Yale’s “top-level experts” and policy researchers are attending this year’s conference, including Dan Esty LAW ’86, a professor of environmental law and trade policy at the Law School, and Anthony Leiserowitz, the director of the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication and a professor at the School of the Environment. Julie Zimmerman, the vice provost for Planetary Solutions and a professor at the School of Environment, is also at COP28. Representatives from the Yale Emerging Climate Leaders, a group of young climate professionals from the Global South, are also attending. 

Additionally, many students are participating in the conference. These include 11 undergraduate representatives who are part of the Yale Student Environmental Coalition. These undergraduate representatives have joined other stakeholders to help address climate issues. 

Peter Boyd, a resident fellow at the Center for Business and the Environment, said that many graduate students are also at the conference. Boyd told the News he is even having roughly 10 students enrolled in his “International Organizations and Conferences” class at the School of the Environment visit the conference as part of the course.

Yale students at COP28

Peyton Meyer ’24 is one of the 11 undergraduates representing the Yale Student Environment Coalition. For Meyer, COP28 gives students the opportunity to engage with climate policymakers, world leaders, NGO staff and other students from around the globe at one of the most important international climate conferences. 

Meyer also said that students who receive official “observer” status can attend most of the events at COP28.

“These include side events at pavilions run by various organizations and countries throughout the venue on a ton of different climate-related topics, COP presidency events on the daily themes like health or finance, and multilateral negotiation sessions with country delegates,” Meyer told the News. 

Meyer gave a presentation at the Higher Education Pavilion on the intersection of climate change and mental health as a part of the Yale Planetary Solutions Series, a Yale project that seeks to raise awareness about climate issues and spark innovative solutions.

Nevertheless, students cannot contribute to any negotiations between parties. 

“I’ve dreamed of attending a Conference of the Parties for a long time. I keep describing it as like Disneyland for climate activists,” Rose Hansen ’25, an environmental studies major and co-president of the Yale Student Environmental Coalition, told the News. “They are just thousands and thousands of really brilliant, really hard-working people all in the same place.”

Hansen, who works with World Bank Director of Global Resources Valerie Hickey and Coral Vita, a coral regeneration start-up, said that Yalies at the event had formed a “really active and enriched network” to support each other.

For Marco Marsans ’24, getting to participate in COP28 has confirmed his plans to dedicate his life to climate change. He said he believes the knowledge he has gained from the conference will help him pinpoint how and where he can do the most good.

Marsans also mentioned how “exhilarating” it is to attend the conference as an undergraduate.

“You keep bumping into your idols,” he said. “I really wanted to meet Bill Gates — reading his book is what started me on this whole climate journey — and I’ve met him twice now, which has been deeply moving.”

Gates, former CEO of Microsoft and author of “How to Avoid a Climate Disaster: The Solutions We Have and the Breakthroughs We Need,” is just one of many philanthropists attending and contributing to COP this year. 

A one-of-a-kind conference

According to Boyd, this year’s climate conference may have many firsts. The UN expects over 70,000 attendees, an increase of over 20,000 from last year. Boyd also noted that more private corporations, indigenous people and youth groups are participating in the talks.

Hansen said that this is the first conference to have a Global Stocktake — a comprehensive, collective inventory of all carbon emissions. Mandated by the 2015 Paris Agreement, this assessment was established to help countries set future carbon budgets and inform their future climate goals.

Both Boyd and Simons voiced concerns over the current pace of climate action and expressed doubt on the feasibility of reaching the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement’s goals. 

“We have to realize that we’re not as far ahead on progress as we should be,” Boyd told the News.

Under the 2015 Paris Agreement, 194 states pledged to limit average global temperatures to two degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels and ideally to no more than 1.5 degrees. However, a recent UN emissions gap report, which was issued weeks in advance of COP28, suggested that, at the current rate, temperatures could increase to roughly three degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. According to the report, greenhouse gas emissions reached a record high in 2022, and states would have to cut their carbon emission by 28 to 42 percent by 2030 in order to meet the Paris Agreement’s goals.

Simons said that many of the member nations’ “high levels of ambition” have not translated to significant execution. Even though nearly 90 percent of global emissions were accounted for by net-zero targets from last year’s conference, he said that the world’s total emissions have yet to peak.

The report also found that per capita emissions in the U.S. and Russia have risen since 2020. As of 2018, all the existing mines and fields were projected to produce enough coal, oil and natural gas over their lifetimes to emit 3.5 times the world’s total allotted carbon budget under the 1.5-degree Celsius increase temperature scenario.

Debate over the future of fossil fuels

Several Yale faculty members attending COP28 told the News that they expected the debate over fossil fuel phaseout to take center stage in the discussions. 

The COP28 host nation, United Arab Emirates, is among the world’s top ten oil producers and generates an average 3.2 million barrels of petroleum a day. 

“The greatest challenge is finding a middle ground between two powerful groups: those who consider fossil fuels as an inevitable part of the medium-term energy mix and those who are pushing for an extremely rapid phase-down of all oil and gas consumption,” Kenneth Gillingham, a professor of energy economics at the School of the Environment, wrote in an email to the News.

Still, Boyd also said that it might be a “tall ask” to make states end fossil fuel extraction given the “interests in the room.”

“It’s sad but not surprising that there are people that could be using the gathering to sustain the old way,” Boyd said. “But I’m hoping now that it’s out in the open, there are enough loud voices to talk about what needs to be done.”

COP28 Chair Sultan al-Jaber has drawn criticism from environmental groups. As head of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, he has claimed that fossil fuel companies must have a part in the sustainable transition. During the first days of the conference, Jaber opened with calls to phase down fossil fuel production, rather than advocating to eliminate fossil fuel use.

Jaber’s efforts to fold the oil industry into climate talks “has not really been attempted before,” said Simons. Despite the presence of gas and oil executives at this year’s conference, Simons added that the UAE has also boasted a “strong track record” of investments in renewables around the world. 

Simons and Boyd both emphasized that fossil fuel phaseout targets are inseparable from efforts to accelerate the rollout of sustainable technologies. 

Though many news outlets cover its international dealmaking, COP28 offers an equally important opportunity for private industries in the corporate, philanthropic and civil society sectors to showcase their work, said Simons.

“I feel like this COP has really taught me a lot about how to work with […] people who might not immediately line your interests,” Hansen said. “In this transition, we have to build bridges […] and this transition is going to take all of us.”

Berlin hosted the first Conference of the Parties in 1995.

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One such rivalry — possibly the most fearsome in collegiate athletics — is Michigan vs. Ohio State. Ironically, when these two teams match up against each other, it is also called “The Game.” And for this one, millions of eyes around the country are glued to their TV sets for Fox’s national Big Noon Kickoff coverage. 

“Michigan vs. Ohio State goes beyond football,” Penn State undergrad Jacob Zucker told the News. “I met somebody in Ohio that wasn’t an Ohio State fan, but he said he would never step foot in the state of Michigan. He grew up hating the state of Michigan.”

What differentiates rivalries like Michigan-Ohio State from Yale-Harvard is that the rivalry extends beyond student enthusiasm. The resentment is omnipresent, according to Zucker. It is about statehood, not alumni status, he explained. Affiliation with either school has little impact on fans’ investment in the competition. 

When it comes to garnering outside support, Yale-Harvard struggles to keep up. Generally, no New Haveners, much less all residents of Connecticut, care so much about the Yale-Harvard rivalry that they would refuse to step foot in Massachusetts, or even Boston. 

Down in Alabama, The Iron Bowl — the annual Auburn-Alabama matchup — is so culturally significant that one cannot even live in the state without being constantly pestered about which team they support, according to Cailin White, an Auburn undergraduate who moved to Alabama when she was 13 years old. 

“When I moved to Alabama, I quickly discovered that to live here you’re either an Auburn fan or a Bama fan,” said White.

The college rivalry is a deep-rooted part of Alabama’s culture, having been an annual tradition since 1893. 

Families clash over it at the dinner table. Children are raised to pick sides. It is just a part of living in the state – a part of the lifestyle, White said. 

“We had Auburn and Alabama-themed dress-up days and fundraisers in elementary school. The rivalry starts so young,” Evan White, who is from Alabama and is a student at Tuskegee University, told the News. 

The rivalry is so intense that after an Iron Bowl loss in 2010, Alabama fan Harvey Updyke Jr. poisoned the iconic Toomer’s Oaks, the beloved decades-old trees that Auburn fans roll in toilet paper after every win. Updyke was sentenced to six months in jail for the killing of the beloved Auburn trees.

The loss of the historic trees devastated the Auburn community around the country.

“I wanted Auburn people to hate me as much as I hate them,” Updyke told CBS News. “There are several things in this world that I really and truly don’t like, and Auburn is one of them.”

Now, when it comes to student enthusiasm for the rivalry, Yale-Harvard holds its own with the other big games. 

When it comes time for kickoff in such big rivalry games, students are much more than just fans. They are a highly trained squadron, and they are more than capable of wreaking havoc on the opposing team. By the time rivalry week rolls around, they are operating as a well-oiled machine.  

“The Penn State fans and the students feel like they have a job to do just like the players,” said Zucker.  “Defend home field at all costs. The student section has the same mentality as the team – it’s all about winning and execution.”

Yale students show just as much school spirit and enthusiasm the week of The Game as students at any other one of the aforementioned schools. 

The entire week leading up to The Game, Yale’s campus is packed with rivalry-themed events. Come gameday, students tailgate and support their team as zealously as any Big 10 or SEC student section. The gameday energy is right up there with the best of them.

Possibly the greatest prank against another team in college sports was pulled off by Yale students in 2004. 

Elis dressed as a “Harvard Pep Squad” and passed out 1,800 pieces of red and white construction paper to Crimson fans, telling the crowd that when they held up the pieces of paper, they would spell out “Go Harvard.” The Yalies’ plan fell right into place as Harvard fans unknowingly spelled out “We Suck” across a section of their stadium.  

Even if the Ivy rivalry may not draw as fanatic fans as some of the other games do, the institutional competition between Yale and Harvard stands alone. Both schools personify tradition like no other. After all, their historic legacies do predate the founding of the United States. 

“The birth of America was in the Northeast. Yale and Harvard, they’re synonymous with the birth of our nation,” a University of Southern California graduate who is from Los Angeles Justin Petrille said. “They’re the two most historic schools of our country, and they’ve always been rivals to one another. Yale-Harvard, everyone knows that — even if you’re not a sports fan.”

The first Yale-Harvard football game was played in 1875.

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