Santa Rosa Junior College’s seventh annual Climate Action Night, hosted on April 24 in Bertolini Hall, was a call to arms in defense of the planet.
More than 100 students from SRJC, Sonoma State University and five Sonoma County high schools delivered science fair-style presentations on 15 environmental bills currently up for consideration by California legislators.
Visitors toured the trifold boards around the room and listened to detailed explanations of bills like SB 445, which attempt to streamline the permitting process for climate friendly projects such as high speed, eco-friendly trains.
Hosts invited attendees to fill out postcards addressed to state representatives expressing their views on these issues.
Sunny Galbraith, science and math teacher at Orchard View Charter School, co-founded the event in 2019 with SRJC botany instructor Abigail Zoger.
“Tomorrow we have meetings with assembly members and senators at their Santa Rosa offices,” Galbraith said. “We’re going to deliver the postcards people write tonight and talk to them about these particular bills and ask them to ensure their passage in the assembly.”
According to Analy High School student Simran Sahni, SB 222 would allow victims of climate disasters to sue fossil fuel companies for damages. The bill failed to pass the Senate Judicial Committee on April 8 but is up for reconsideration on May 5, demonstrating both the urgency and the opportunity for impact.
With roughly 300 attendees, this year saw the biggest crowd in the event’s history. “I had to run and print twice as many programs,” Zoger said. Those programs were an important part of the proceedings.
After the presenters delivered their messages, they stamped the program of the attendee. Seven stamps earned a screen printed souvenir protest patch created by renowned Bay Area artist, activist and author David Solnit. Solnit was on hand outside Bertolini Hall with paints for customizing the patches.
A mural designed by Los Angeles artist Eddie Aparacio hung in the stage area. The 10-foot-tall canvas depicted a chimney; the only part remaining of Aparacio’s Altadena home that was consumed by the Eaton Fire in January. The pigment was made from the ashes of that fire mixed with an acrylic binder by Solnit, who joined Aparacio and two dozen members of his community in applying the piece to canvas. “It’s very healing for people to be able to take a tragedy and create something positive out of it,” Solnit said.
For Galbraith, Climate Action Night is about using the system, as intended, to create change. “A lot of the bills we’ve championed have passed into law and we’ve also educated many students on how this process works in California,” Galbraith said. “A big part of a law actually passing is having people show up, and call, and show up to representatives’ offices, and we’ve really made that happen.”
