On Thursday, October 16, the Break the Bonds NYS campaign held a rally in Albany, marching from the Capitol to NYS Comptroller Tom DiNapoli’s office. The "Break the Bonds" campaign wants the New York State Common Retirement Fund (NYSCRF) to divest from Israel Bonds, which they note support the Israeli government's actions in Palestine. The Campaign says that these investments contribute to human rights violations and are ethically unconscionable. It calls for a shift towards sustainable investments that benefit New Yorkers and align with ethical standards. We hear from Eyad Alkurabi of the Palestinian Rights Committee, Keren Carmel of Jewish Voice for Peace, Rev. John Paalberg of the NYS Council of Churches; Jim McCabe of Columbia County for Palestine; Julian, the emcee of the rally, Becky from Break the Bonds, Sava from the Albany Muslim Advocacy Coalition; Eyad again; and Naomi Jaffe of Jewish Voice for Peace. By Mark Dunlea for Hudson Mohawk Magazine.

At 12:00 Noon on Saturday, October 18, the people of the Capital Region will gather on Western Avenue between Fuller and Manning Boulevard for a nonviolent demonstration and march in collective celebration of their right to peaceably assemble, and to reaffirm, once again, that America has No Kings! More than 2600 No Kings events are planned nationwide. Organizers cite that the Trump administration is targeting immigrant families, profiling, arresting and detaining people without warrants; threatening to overtake elections; gutting health care, environmental protections, and education when families need them most; rigging maps to silence voters; ignoring mass shootings at our schools and in our communities; and driving up the cost of living while handling out massive giveaways to billionaire allies, as families struggle. Leyla Kiosse of Albany Indivisible and Mary Panzetta of We Get Out the Resistance previews the local event with Mark Dunlea for Hudson Mohawk Magazine.

On Friday September 26, the state senate held a roundtable on the implementation of the state’s climate law, CLCPA, which is falling short of its mandated goals. We hear from Samantha Wilt of NRDC, Alisha Dean Steinber of the League of Conservation Voters, Alison Constadine of the Decarbonization Coalition and Michael Hernandez of Rewiring America. By Mark Dunlea for Hudson Mohawk Magazine.

On Tuesday, September 30, a People’s Meeting was organized outside of Governor Hochul’s nuclear summit in Syracuse by Onondaga Nation community members, the Haudenosaunee Environmental Task Force, Neighbors of the Onondaga Nation, the Alliance for a Green Economy, the Nuclear Information and Resource Service (NIRS), Citizen Action, NY Renews, FWW, and Frack Action. They demanded real climate solutions—renewable energy like solar, wind, conservation, and storage—that compared to nuclear are faster, cheaper, safer, and actually move us toward New York’s Climate Justice goals. Hil Coppola of the Onondaga Nation talks with Mark Dunlea for Hudson Mohawk Magazine.

On October 7, Beyond Plastics released a new report, “Follow the Money: The David vs. Goliath Battle to Pass the New York Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act.” Reports filed with the state showed that the bill was the most lobbied on during the section, with 107 lobbyists paid to defeat it. 21 of the 50 highest-paid lobbying firms in New York were retained by industry opponents to defeat a bill that was supported by 73% of New Yorkers. We hear from Judith Enck of Beyond Plastics and Blair Horner of NYPIRG. This has been Mark Dunlea for Hudson Mohawk Magazine 

On Oct. 9, Lights Out Norlite held a news conference in Cohoes, NY pointing out that there is still toxic dust being blown around from the Norlite plant despite the plant temporarily stopping the burning of imported hazardous waste since March of 2024. Norlite LLC is the defendant in a lawsuit brought by New York Attorney General Letitia James and the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation on October 12, 2022. The lawsuit aims to stop the ongoing pollution from the facility. Three years later, the case has not been brought to trial or settled with the polluter. We hear from local residents Joe Ritche, Brad Blauhut, and Ed Sokol, and Judith Enck, former EPA Regional Administrator.

When Governor Hochul attended Opening Day at the Great New York State Fair , Central New York residents, community leaders and environmentalists planned a press conference to demand the Governor reject dangerous nuclear power plants and major fracked gas pipelines . While the rally was canceled due to thunderstorms, protestors were still there with banners and several encountered the Governor inside the fair. Ethan Gormely of Citizen Action and Tim Judson of NIRS (Nuclear Information and Resource Services) discuss the issues with Mark Dunlea for Hudson Mohawk Magazine.

On Wednesday September 3, more than 3 dozen climate activists held a news conference outside of the State Department of Environmental Conservation in downtown Albany to urge the Hochul administration not to cave to President Trump, who is pushing the Governor to reverse prior decisions rejected several William company pipelines (NISE, Constitution) allegedly in exchange for allowing an offshore wind project off of Long Island to proceed. We hear from Ethan Gormley of Citizen Action, Isaac Silberman-Gorn of Frack Action, Melissa Hoffman of Food and Water Watch, Renee Vogelsang of Frack Action, and Hannah from RPI Sunrise. By Mark Dunlea for Hudson Mohawk Magazine

Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan and the Albany Community Land Trust held a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Thursday, September 4 on Orange Street for geothermal drilling underway at two properties in the Sheridan Hollow neighborhood. These boreholes will enable highly efficient geothermal energy to be used to heat and cool 3 residential units and a commercial business. This pilot program, spearheaded by NYSERDA and Aztech Geothermal, will hopefully lead to a district geothermal system that will provide heating and cooling to up to 100 homes in the neighborhood that for more than a century has been polluted by the state’s Sheridan Avenue Steam Plant used to power the Capitol and Empire State Plaza Complex. We hear from Sue Cottner of the Land Trust; Mayor Kathy Sheehan; Geoff Hoffer of Aztech; Albany County Legislator Mert Simpson; and, Christine Hoffer of NY Geo. By Mark Dunlea for Hudson Mohawk Magazine.

On Monday. September 8, the NYS Energy and Research Development Authority held a reception on Wolf Road in Albany to observe its 50th anniversary. A number of climate groups held signs outside of the event to highlight some key reforms they hope that NYSERDA will adopt to curtail greenhouse gas emissions and speed up the transition to clean, renewable energy. We hear from Isaac Silberman-Gorn of Frack Action; Thelma Safeez from RPI Sunrise; Mary Finneran of the Sierra Club; and Noah Ginsberg of the NY Solar Energy Industries Association. By Mark Dunlea for Hudson Mohawk Magazine.