By Shlomie Katash
Brooklyn College’s New York Public Interest Group (NYPIRG) chapter held their annual campaign kickoff on Thursday, Sept. 28. The event focused on the social change campaigns NYPIRG is planning on doing this semester and ways interested students can get involved.
The event’s speakers discussed how NYPIRG and its members can impact politics, which is woven into the history of student activism. This legacy links the problems of today to the various initiatives NYPIRG is hosting, showcasing that anyone could make a difference. For example, one of NYPIRG’s central pushes this semester will be the “Democracy Campaign,” which is going to help register students to vote every day and educate them regarding the process of voting ahead of the city council elections on Nov. 7.
Another focus of the meeting was the concept of environmental justice and the intersection between the impacts of climate change and other social justice issues. NYPIRG believes that it is key to advocate for Mayor Eric Adams to enforce Local Law 97, which will help improve energy efficiency and reduce harmful emissions from certain buildings.
“Local Law 97 will make sure that these buildings are cutting their emissions because currently, oil and gas is harming our communities, especially those low income areas,” said Damien Andrade, a senior at BC and the NYPIRG chair on the statewide Board of Directors.
This semester comes off of a big year for NYPIRG, with several legislative victories for its chapter in Albany. The group played a central role in the passage and implementation of several of their initiatives, including more funding for CUNY and SUNY, and the All-Electric Building Act that helps move New York to a more climate-friendly future, both of which were enacted this past May.
BC’s NYPIRG has several events already planned for the fall semester, including their “Trick or Eat” food drive at the end of October that in years past has seen thousands of food donations. Additionally, they are hoping to host a trip to Albany to advocate for the New Deal for CUNY, a proposed bill that pushes to make all CUNY schools tuition-free, among other goals.
More information can be found on the chapter’s Instagram page @brooklyn_nypirg, or in their office in Ingersoll Hall 1433.