Off the coast of Long Island, a new chapter in the region’s energy future is already spinning.
The South Fork Wind project — the first utility-scale offshore wind farm serving New York — is now delivering electricity to the East End, demonstrating that offshore wind is no longer theoretical. It’s operating infrastructure.
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March 12, 2026
More than 200 middle and high school students from across Long Island gathered at Stony Brook University for the 2026 Long Island Youth Climate Summit, an event designed to motivate and empower the next generation of climate leaders.
Held on March 10 in the Student Activities Center Ballroom, the summit brought together students from 13 schools across Nassau and Suffolk Counties for presentations, panels and sessions focused on climate science, activism, careers and solutions.
The event was hosted by Students for Climate Action and Renewable Energy Long Island, two local nonprofit organizations that promote clean and sustainable energy use across the region, and supported by partners including Stony Brook Workforce Development and Collaborative for the Earth (C4E).’
Melissa Parrott, executive director of Renewable Energy Long Island, welcomed students and addressed the purpose of the event.
“Our theme of the day is climate optimism, and we have a wonderful guest speaker that’s going to really motivate and change the way we think,” Parrott said. She introduced Adrienne Esposito, executive director and co-founder of Citizens Campaign for the Environment, who opened the summit with a talk about activism and the growing problem of misinformation surrounding environmental issues. “By being here, you are also acting as activists,” Esposito told the audience. “What does that mean? Activism gets a bad rap, but it simply means someone who desires change, and that is a good thing.”
Esposito encouraged students to recognize the power of participation and civic engagement.
“You matter. Your voice matters,” she said. “If you ever have a chance to go to a community meeting or a public meeting, even if you’re not the type of person who wants to stand up and speak, that’s fine. Just show up. Just being there in numbers causes elected officials to take notice that people care.
She also urged students to be aware of misinformation, especially on social media.
“Reading it doesn’t mean it’s true,” Esposito said. “Facebook is not a belief system. It’s just a social media tool. It’s really hard right now to fight climate change. But you are the generation we’re fighting for.”
Throughout the morning, students heard from advocates, researchers and industry leaders about the challenges of climate change and the many ways young people can become involved in solutions.
The keynote address was delivered by Heather White, an author, environmental policy expert and founder of One Green Thing, an organization focused on addressing climate anxiety through everyday action.
“Hope and joy are not naive,” White said. “They are defiant. Because we are the ones that are going to get us through this. No one is coming to save us. It’s up to all of us.”
White spoke about the emotional toll climate change can take on young people, a phenomenon often called eco anxiety, the title of White’s book on the topic.
“The American Psychological Association defines this as a chronic fear of environmental doom,” she said. “And in my view, eco anxiety is just a generalized anxiety about the future that my generation is leading you all and the future that you’re leading the next generation.
To help students feel empowered rather than overwhelmed, White introduced a concept she calls a “service superpower,” encouraging individuals to identify the strengths they bring to climate action.
“The fact is, you do matter, because every single one of us are culture change agents,” White said. “You are influential in your family, in your community, in your schools.”
Students then participated in an exercise to identify their own “superpowers,” and joined breakout groups with those who share their superpower to discuss how they could apply their strengths to environmental advocacy community engagement.
Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine spoke to students about issues critical to the Long Island area, including solar energy, the removal of garbage off Long Island and railroad infrastructure.
The summit also highlighted career opportunities in climate and clean energy fields through a panel discussion featuring industry leaders, advocates and educators.
Chad Marvin of the Long Island Clean Energy Hub encouraged students to begin building experience early.
“When you get to the point when you come out of college, if you’re going to pursue a four-year degree, you are looking at job descriptions that are already requiring X years of experience, and you can fulfill that through the opportunities that are available for youth, which are volunteering and internships,” Marvin said.
Caroline Grattan of Applied Energy Services advised students not to become overwhelmed by the number of career options available.
“So many options are ahead of you, but if you have a bunch, just go with it, explore your options and you’ll figure it out,” she said.
Ryan Stanton of the Long Island Federation of Labor emphasized the importance of growth and learning through new experiences.
“Look at the New York State Department of Labor website for apprenticeships for unions and be coachable,” Stanton said. “Stay humble and put yourself in spaces and places that make you uncomfortable.”
Sydney LeGuillow of the Haugland Group encouraged students to follow their interests.
“Stick to your passions but don’t put too much pressure on yourself,” she said. “That will come over time. Just pursue what you’re passionate about.”
Adam Charboneau, lecturer in Stony Brook’s School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, offered more general guidance.
“I say that to slow down, enjoy the moments and see the world,” Charboneau said. “Do it as a child would. It’s a set of gifts. Don’t get over-transactionary or over-transactional.”
Parrott emphasized the importance of collective action.
“This has been such an opportunity to show students that there’s a way forward,” she said. “It could be through education, it could be through passion, it could be through motivation that they’re not alone.”
Parrott also reminded students that the work ahead will require commitment and collaboration.
“There’s a lot of work to do,” added Parrott. “It’s going to be hard, but we can do it.”
— Beth Squire
U.S. Rep. Tom Suozzi stood along the waterfront in Glen Cove on Tuesday, Feb. 17, warning that Long Islanders cannot afford to ignore what he described as a sweeping rollback of federal climate protections.
“Climate change is real,” Suozzi repeated several times during the news conference, held just days after President Donald Trump and the Environmental Protection Agency rescinded the 2009 “endangerment finding,” a policy that concluded greenhouse gases endanger public health and welfare.
WASHINGTON — As a four-term congressman, Republican Lee Zeldin played a key role in the yearslong bipartisan push to save Plum Island, off Long Island’s North Fork, from potential commercial development. He helped secure funding for clean water projects in his Suffolk district. And he spoke out against a 2018 proposal to permit offshore drilling in the Atlantic Ocean.
New York climate advocates are disturbed by the Trump administration’s decision to revoke a key legal finding stating that climate change impacts public health.
The 2009 Endangerment Finding has served as the basis for national efforts to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions and build more clean energy. The administration claims revoking the finding will lower transportation and energy costs.
Suozzi Calls Out Administration’s Disastrous Rollback of Bedrock Environmental Policy, Stands with Conservationists in calling for the reinstatement of 2009 ‘Endangerment Finding’
Glen Cove, NY— Today, Congressman Tom Suozzi (D-Long Island, Queens) held a press conference to call out the Administration’s revocation of the ‘Endangerment Finding’ that greenhouse gases endanger public health and welfare—a move widely seen as a major setback to U.S. efforts to combat the climate crisis.
WASHINGTON — Environmentalists raised alarms Thursday after the Environmental Protection Agency — led by Long Island native Lee Zeldin — repealed an Obama-era legal finding that has been used for 17 years to regulate and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Without the provision, known as the endangerment finding, environmental advocates contend Long Island’s 2.2 million gas-powered vehicles — the state’s largest source of greenhouse gases — could be contributing more carbon to the atmosphere. Some energy industry groups and conservative policy groups, however, celebrated Zeldin's announcement.
Improved wastewater infrastructure and healthy shellfish populations are the keys to improving the water quality of Stony Brook Harbor. On Tuesday, Feb. 3, environmental activists and scientists gathered at the Stony Brook Yacht Club for a water quality forum, specifically focusing on Stony Brook Harbor.
Endowed Chair of Coastal Ecology and Conservation and Distinguished Professor at Stony Brook University’s School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences Christopher J. Gobler spent the last two years monitoring water quality and shellfish populations in locations throughout the Stony Brook Harbor watershed. “We wanted to understand, what is controlling the growth of algae in Stony Brook Harbor?” he said.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul’s proposal to fast-track certain housing projects by peeling back some environmental regulations is dividing some of the state’s most prominent climate advocacy groups.
The State Environmental Quality Review Act, or SEQRA, is intended to make sure projects don’t harm sensitive lands and waters, but developers have long criticized the process, saying it slows down construction times and drives up costs. Hochul said she’s trying to bring down housing costs amid New York state’s ongoing housing affordability crisis.
Long Island’s drinking water supply is solely dependent on aquifers. Sarah Meyland, a retired professor at the New York Institute of Technology, spoke about the impacts of chronic water depletion on the region’s water supply.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul vowed this week to take "a hard look" at the environmental review steps developers must follow to have state and local governments approve new home-building projects.
The current review process hasn't been updated "in literally half a century," and, in its current form, it holds up the construction of affordable housing New Yorkers desperately need now, the governor said Tuesday in a State of the State address in Albany. The governor hinted that changes could be underway that would get housing construction projects approved much faster and more easily.
Suffolk County Legislator Steven Englebright (D-Setauket) invited Citizens Campaign for the Environment co-founder Adrienne Esposito and CCE board and staff members to the Suffolk County Legislature’s Nov. 25th General Meeting to honor them for 40 years of advocacy. Presiding Officer Kevin McCaffrey (R-Lindenhurst) joined Englebright at the podium, where the CCE team received a proclamation along with flowers and balloons.
On Oct 7, representatives from 15 environmentalist groups gathered in Northport Harbor to rally for the Horseshoe Crab Protection Act (S.4289/A.4997), which would ban the harvesting of horseshoe crabs in New York for commercial and biomedical use. A study released last month, authored by Dr. Rebha Raviraj from Maritime Aquarime at Norwalk, showed a decrease of 2-9% in horseshoe crab populations in the Long Island Sound. At the event, Dr. Raviraj described the losses across the 46-year study as “very significant,” linking them to habitat loss, over-harvesting, insufficient management practices, and climate change.
On Sept. 29, a mix of grassroots organizers, student activists, utility workers, elected officials, and environmental professionals voiced varying priorities at the New York State draft energy plan hearing at Stony Brook University. The university saw multiple outdoor rallies in addition to 2 ½ hours of public comments on the 15-year plan, with concerns covering jobs, affordability, environmental safety, and more.
The Long Island South Shore Estuary Reserve, a sprawling 70-mile-long network of waterways vulnerable to environmental pressures, will receive a $2.4 million infusion of state funding.
The New York State Department of State, at a press conference at Tobay Beach Wednesday afternoon, said eight municipalities, nonprofits and agencies earned the awards through the South Shore Estuary Reserve Local Assistance Grant Program.
In the most recent fiscal year, New York made more investments in water infrastructure than in any prior year.
Announcing the record spending Wednesday at Albany’s Corning Preserve, President and CEO of New York’s Environmental Facilities Corporation Maureen Coleman says nearly 330 projects were executed with financial assistance in the last fiscal year -- a 55 percent increase year-to-year.
Coney Island, NY, Aug. 6, 2025—New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Amanda Lefton joined the Atlantic Marine Conservation Society (AMSEAS), elected officials, and environmental leaders to release a rehabilitated Kemp’s ridley sea turtle back into the Atlantic Ocean outside the New York Aquarium. The event celebrated the New York State Environmental Protection Fund (EPF) that helps protect and restore the health of the state’s ocean and coasts.
