Massachusetts Powershift, a network of politically- and environmentally-active college students, held rallies at eight different campuses throughout the Bay State on April 18, urging local politicians to support the Mass. Legislation's call for 100-percent clean electricity in the US in the next decade. It's just the latest in the series of major accomplishements by the group.
By Gus Shlimbaum
The skies may have been grey and gloomy in the Bay State on Saturday April 18, but for college students who gathered at campuses throughout Massachusetts, the only color that really mattered was green.
The eco-friendly gatherings at eight participating Massachusetts campuses were part of a much bigger project, called "Focus the Nation," in which students and young professionals from around the country got together to push their local politicians to support bills on clean-energy. The specific goal of the local rallies, all held at colleges in different congressional districts across the state, was to invite the local representative to the event to come and declare his or her support for the call for 100 percent clean electricity in the United States in the next 10 years. The current goal in Washington is for the nation to be completely energy efficient by 2050.
"We go to a very environmentally-conscience school, so everyone knows how to do their part in a small way," said Sara Wallace, a Tufts University sophomore who helped organize an eco-festival at her school. "But I think getting together like-minded people at events like these give an opportunity to think about making a more global effort and a global impact, and as something that can make a visible difference."
These events were the result of months of work and planning by a state-wide network of politically- and environmentally-active college students, called Massachusetts Powershift (MAPS). Some were lively rallies with live music and free food, while others were simply roundtable discussions about environmental legislation on Beacon Hill.
"I think each event by themselves feels more special because they know it is part of a much larger effort," said Craig Altemose, the Massachusetts state coordinator for "Focus the Nation" and co-coordinator of Mass. Powershift. "We really hope that we are making a very clear stance to our elected leadership that this is what our people are calling for."
The "Focus the Nation" events were just the latest in a series of major accomplishments by the MAPS network since its creation in 2007. Last summer, the group lobbied every member of the House of Representatives from Massachusetts to pass the Global Warming Solutions Act. This year, MAPS members helped draft the bill that urges federal lawmakers to get the nation on pace to be completely energy efficient in a decade. That bill was passed by the state Senate in March, and by the General Assembly on April 7. Altemose, a third-year student at Harvard Law School, said that the success of the bill would not have been possible without the extraordinary efforts of Mass. Powershift.
"We were the sole creators of the bill, so without our network this couldn't have been possible," said Altemose.. "(Passing the bill) is a really bold statement that I don't think any other elected body in this country ever has taken - to say that we need 100-percent clean electricity in the state in the next ten years."
Inspired by a 2007 national "Powershift"conference, Altemose and several other students from Boston-area colleges decided that creating a Massachusetts chapter of "Powershift" would work well because there are so many colleges here. The group quickly attracted enough members to put on a conference of its own the next summer, held at Boston University, where speakers included Sen. John Kerry and Rep. Edward Markey, D- Malden.
Beyond the clear focus of the group and its political influence, the cohesiveness of the network between the universities in the Hub has helped to attract members, Altemose said. State-wide meetings are held every month for them to stay in contact with each other.
"I have so many friends who are environmentally active at different schools throughout the Boston area and the state but they were always working with their individual groups at their own schools," said Dan Richards, a freshman member from Tufts. "I think MAPS provides a network for different school groups to be able to communicate with each other and coordinate to have a much more effective use of all that energy."
Though the official goal of MAPS is to continue to push the area's members of Congress to support legislation to be an energy-efficient nation in 10 years, Altemose said he expects the group will become more focused on specific legislation in Massachusetts, trying to ensure climate change is on every single person's radar.
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