WESTFIELD—A student organization has taken its next step in attempting to make Westfield State University a more energy-efficient campus.
MassPIRG, a student-led organization that includes a chapter at Westfield State University (WSU), has unveiled a 10-point plan to help get universities like WSU to their goal of 100 percent renewable energy, according to WSU MassPIRG organizer Kane Sheek.
Sheek hopes that the unveiling of the 10-point plan will help guide WSU to reaching the 100 percent renewable energy goal by 2050, and help create conversation.
“We want this to spark a conversation for what is feasible for what Westfield State can do as a university,” Sheek said.
According to Sheek, the goals of MassPIRG on the WSU campus were clear, but criticisms about the campaign were that there was no clearly defined way to get to the goal of 100 percent renewable energy.
“So, this is our statement of how we can get there and here is the roadmap,” Sheek said of the 10-point plan.
The plan, which is from the Environment America Research and Policy Center website titled “Renewable Energy 101: Ten Tools for Moving Your Campus to 100% Clean Energy,” features some of the following steps to help reach the goal, including on-campus solar and wind energy, solar heating and hot water, renewable energy purchasing, energy efficiency plans and transportation suggestions.
According to Sheek, the points are based on plans and concepts implemented at schools and universities throughout the country and can be applicable to WSU.
“These are reasonable ways to get to sustainable energy,” Sheek said.
Sheek also said that the school has already taken some steps toward increasing renewable energy use, such as putting solar panels on two buildings on campus, but MassPIRG’s goal is still about spreading the information.
Sheek said he hopes to get an energy sustainability report from the school’s administration next.
