Students Map Out End to Global Warming

Alana Miller '10, vice-president of Smith's MASSPIRG chapter, opens the weekly Global Warming meeting with enough energy and excitement to light a dorm room for an entire year. The announcement that the Global Warming Solutions Act (GWSA) has passed through the Massachusetts Senate causes an outburst of applause and cheers from the group. One member feverishly text messages her friend the news. The bill that was introduced by Senator Marc Pacheco at the beginning of the session on March 6 pledges to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 20 percent below 1990 levels by 2020 with an 80 percent reduction by 2050. "Thanks to hundreds of phone calls from college students all over the country, including over 100 calls from Smith, we can now move forward to bring this bill through the house," Emily Brown '11 said.

Brown, Miller and other Smith students will be lobbying for the GWSA in the Massachusetts House of Representatives during Massachusetts Power Shift (MAPS) from April 11 to14 in Boston. During MAPS, Massachusetts's citizens will gather from around the state to learn about global warming, activism, lobbying and green jobs.

Participants will attend workshops, see keynote speakers and enjoy planned evening entertainment around Boston. Between sessions, students will mingle and swap ideas with other empowered activists. "It's a crucial event to go to if you're concerned about the issue," Brown said.

Brown has been working to contact other organizations for partnerships with MAPS for four weeks. Last semester, she attended another global warming conference called Power Shift in Washington, D.C., along with students from all over the nation. She describes the experience as "empowering" and "inspiring."

MAPS differs from Power Shift because it is state specific and open to all community members. This specificity will provide Smith students the chance to strategize with Northampton citizens on how to tackle local energy issues. Along with these strategies, the conference will work on passing the GWSA. "The GWSA is in line with more ambitious policies," Joanne Benkley, coordinator of the Environmental Science and Policy Program, said. "It'll help us avoid some of the worst effects of global warming."

Due to the bill's success in the Senate, lobbyists will be working specifically in the Massachusetts House of Representatives. "We anticipate it to be a harder fight," Miller, who is organizing lobby day for MAPS, said. "It's harder to pass progressive legislation."

According to Benkley and Miller, cynics and students uneducated about the finer points of global warming should attend this conference because of the plethora of learning opportunities.

What about the Smithies who will be pounded down with homework that weekend? Liliana Delman '11 asserts that when you get home from the conference, you'll have enough to energy to catch up. "You're going to feed off the energy and feel pumped up to do work," Delman said. "It's like getting back from the gym."

The price to attend MAPS is $10 until March 15, when it will rise to $15. Smith plans to take 50 students and will take care of transportation and housing. To register, visit www.masspowershift.org. Also search for the Massachusetts Power Shift Facebook group.

MAPS is ultimately about holding yourself accountable, according to one Smith senior. "Global warming affects our whole world and we're a big part of a reason why it's like this," Rebecca Staples-Moore '08 said. "It's our responsibility to fix it.