BARUCH COLLEGE–David Vassar stepped out of his Morningside Heights apartment and looked west, where an unnatural orange glow blurred the outlines of distant buildings. He was stunned. The smell of smoke was inescapable.
Every day, he bikes from 125th Street to his job at the Fordham University Library, enjoying the familiar rhythm of the city awakening around him. That June morning in 2023, however, was different. The air felt oppressive. He wore a surgical N95 mask as he pedaled the 65 blocks down the Hudson River Greenway.
“I’m a cyclist. I love to bike. But the air was literally not breathable,” said Vassar.
A year later, on Nov. 25, he biked the Greenway again, this time heading to the Financial District to advocate for climate action.
