We all know that burning oil, gas, and coal has polluted our air, water, and land for decades – and now it’s changing the climate even faster than scientists feared it would.
We know we can have healthier communities right now and a livable future for ourselves and generations to come. But to get there, we must transform the way we produce and consume energy. That’s got to start with a commitment to 100% clean, renewable energy
A 100 percent clean energy future means shifting from dirty energy to completely clean energy sources wherever and however we can. Renewable energy is abundant,
We could power the nation ten times over with available wind resources, and existing solar potential provides more than 100 times our current energy needs.
Between 2009 and 2014, the cost of solar electricity in the United States fell by 78% and the cost of wind energy dropped 58%.
Major corporations including Google, Facebook, General Motors, Johnson & Johnson, and Coca-Cola have committed to powering their operations entirely with renewable energy.
Standing in the way of this progress, of course, are the fossil fuel companies. Time and time again they have demonstrated their ability and willingness to block the shift to clean energy wanted by most Americans. Despite all of their hard work, we’re making progress.
Climate Change Impact in Massachusetts
Climate change is affecting people around the world and right here in Massachusetts. From the rising sea levels on the north shore, south coast and in the city of Boston, to the Nor’easters and droughts that have affected our ecosystems, our dependence on fossil fuels is harming our environment and our communities. The recent Columbia Gas pipeline explosions in the Merrimack Valley in October 2018 left 30,000 people without heat for months and injured dozens more. There are cleaner, safer, energy options that we need to use immediately. In the last decade here in MA, the amount of energy we generate from solar increased by 247-fold and wind by 55-fold. Clean, renewable energy sources are abundant and become more cost efficient.
Recent Progress
MASSPIRG students at Salem State University helped to pass the first municipal resolution in the state through the Salem City council to commit to getting 100 percent of their energy from renewable sources, and now 7 towns across the state have done the same. Boston University recently committed to getting 100 percent of their electricity from renewable sources, and in April of 2022, the University of Massachusetts Amherst announced a plan to power the university with 100 percent renewable energy by 2032, after a six-year MASSPIRG campaign.
In April 2022, MASSPIRG helped convince UMass Amherst to commit to 100% renewable energy by 2032.
Our Approach
There is still more to be done and that’s why we’re prioritizing this campaign with a 2-pronged approach to this campaign:
- We’ll be advocating to pass statewide legislation to commit MA to 100% Renewable Energy by 2045
- We’ll work locally on our campuses to ask get our campus administration to make similar commitments.
There’s a lot more work to be done to transition to a 100% clean energy future. Our vision is that every campus and community across the country is running on 100% renewable energy by 2050 or earlier.
Join the Movement
Learn More:
Renewable Energy 101: Ten Tools for Moving Your Campus to 100% Clean Energy