It’s Getting Hot In Here

Posted on behalf of Dan Abrams, Boston Media Coordinator for The Leadership Campaign.

10/24 marked the International Day of Climate Action.  It was nothing short of spectacular: 4,000+ actions around the world all calling for 350PPM! However, the activism and work is not over.

We in Massachusetts recognize that October 24th was the beginning, not the end of our work.  After partnering with community groups in 350 actions during the day, we kicked off a series of state-wide Sleep-Outs.  Braving a torrential downpour, students from five colleges in Western Massachusetts joined together on the Amherst Common.  Students at Clark University braved the same rains in Worcester, while students at Tufts and Northeastern spent the night in soggy tents on their respective Boston/Medford campuses.

And then the real magic happened:  On Sunday, October 25th, over 100 students, clergy, and community members gathered on the Boston Common outside the MA Statehouse.  Over 70 of us stayed the night, refusing to sleep in our homes powered by dirty electricity, and instead pitching tents on the commons.  We will continue to refuse warm beds and a cozy night sleep until the state legislature has passed a plan to repower the Commonwealth with 100% clean electricity by January 1st, 2020. We, as Americans, and our brothers and sisters around the globe in developed nations, are involuntarily harming the planet and the people on it as we go about our lives in our homes, apartments, dormitories, and offices.  For most of us, we do not have the choice of what powers our homes.  We are pouring tons of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and the only record we have of it are our monthly bills.  It is time that we step up and accept responsibility for what we are causing – Global Climatic Disruption.  We will not be subservient to the electric companies and we will finally take hold and choose how to run our lives.

The students of Massachusetts have drafted a bill that would move Massachusetts to 100% Clean Electricity by 2020.  We believe that every citizen of our Commonwealth, and indeed the world, should have the right to use electricity without undermining the econonomic, political, social, and biological stability of the planet.
Governor Patrick has publicly committed (twice) to meeting with us to discuss this importan effort.  We are grateful for his proud history of leadership on this issue, and are excited to work with him to introduce our bill to the MA Legislature before the end of the formal session on November 18th.

When scientific consensus agreed that 450PPM should be the driving target of climate policy, our state stepped up to the plate and passed science-based policy to move us towards that end.  Now leading scientists say 350PPM is the highest goal, and we know that the leaders of Massachusetts will again step up to the plate to earn their place in the history books.

To show our resolve to our elected leaders, students and community members from all across the Bay state will continue to gather on the Boston Common to rally and sleep every Sunday night.  It is illegal to be in this park after 11PM, but dozens of participants are willing to put their criminal records at jeopardy to prove that they will not continuing their lives normally until we have a sane energy policy.   On the first Sunday sleepout, we had no problems with law enforcement personnel.  We were respectful of the police, and they returned the favor.

When we wake up on Monday mornings, we send groups into the Statehouse with their sleeping gear to meet with Legislators and their staff about the bill we wrote that will repower Massachusetts.  On Monday, October 26th, some 15 groups met with nearly 200 Legislators!  We let them know about our call to action, asked them for their support, and let them know that we would be back, week after week, until they have agreed to Re-Power Massachusetts.

Our action has been publicly endorsed by 350.org founder Bill McKibben, and he has agreed to join our efforts in the next month.  NASA Scientist James Hansen will also be joining our state-wide sleep-out on November 8-9th.  And Jim Antal, the head of the United Church of Christ in Massachusetts (the largest protestant denomination in the state) has also agreed to support and join our efforts.  The Massachusetts Council of Churches leads the pack of supporting organizations, a list that continues to grow.

The movement is building in Massachusetts, but it must spread elsewhere.  Join us!

For more information, visit The Leadership Campaign Website.