State Senator James Sanders Jr. hosted his annual Earth Day celebration in the Rockaways on Saturday, Apr. 20, highlighted by his “Tuvalu Challenge” address, delivered while standing in the surf off Beach 86th Street with like-minded community leaders.
For the third year in a row, Sanders delivered his speech in the Atlantic Ocean to commemorate a similar address by Foreign Minister Simon Kofe of the South Pacific island nation of Tuvalu on Nov. 5, 2021, to dramatize the plight of his endangered country from climate change by standing in the ocean.
“Time is no longer a bystander in our fight against climate change; it’s the rallying cry echoing through every community,” Sanders said. “Our urgency is not just global; it’s deeply local. Each action we take, every decision we make within our own neighborhoods, reverberate globally.”
The day began with a well-attended breakfast reception, where participants networked and discussed environmental solutions, followed by a community tree planting initiative to make a positive environmental impact on the local area. The day culminated with Sanders’ “Call for Climate Change Action,” delivering a unified message about the need for immediate and sustained efforts to address the climate crisis.