WESTFIELD—A student organization at Westfield State University (WSU) is trying to make changes in energy production and consumption in the area.
Students from MASSPIRG’s WSU chapter are working on a campaign to get the community and the university to pledge to run completely on renewable energy since last week. The campaign is part of a larger state-wide one that has gathered over 7,000 signatures since its beginning, and has also influenced pending legislation in the state house.
“Really what we’re trying to do is get communities to think about renewable energy, making that commitment and hopefully implementing things like solar panels and getting energy from wind turbine farms and geothermal,” Kane Sheek, campus organizer for MASSPIRG’s WSU chapter, said.
Students gather around a table set up by MASSPIRG and learn information about the project (photo provided by Kane Sheek)
According to Sheek, the campaign is aiming to make all electricity in Massachusetts communities to be from 100 percent renewable resources by 2035, while trying to get all cars to use 100 percent renewable resources by 2050.
The plan is not easy, but according to Sheek the support thus far on campus has been considerable. Sheek said that since the campaign started on campus on Valentine’s Day last week, they have gathered over 500 signatures.
“We are getting a lot of student and faculty endorsements,” Sheek said. “We have 20 faculty members already and gathered close to 500 petitions in [WSU].”
WSU, according to the school’s website, has 6,383 students, including both graduate and undergraduate, as of Oct. 15, 2016.
And the support hasn’t just come from the students and faculty at the university, either. In spite of the lack of campaigning in the city’s community itself—which Sheek said will occur later in the semester—the project has gained support from Westfield-based Rep. John Velis, according to Sheek, who said Velis co-sponsored legislation titled, “An Act to transition Massachusetts to 100 percent renewable energy,” that was introduced earlier last week.
The bill was initially filed by Rep. Sean Garballey of the 23rd Middlesex district, Rep. Marjorie Decker of the 25th Middlesex district and Sen. Jamie Eldridge of the Middlesex and Worcester district.
The bill, which has similar prospects to the MASSPIRG petition, would require that the state have all electricity generated from renewable resources, like wind or solar, by 2035, and that fossil fuel be eliminated as a power source by 2050.
MASSPIRG is a “statewide, student directed and student funded nonprofit working to win concrete victories on social issues,” according to the organization’s website. Students pay a $9 fee to help the organization hire professional services but the fee can be waived.
For more information, you can visit their website, http://www.environmentamerica.org, to learn more.
