Metro West Boston Confronts The Climate Crisis

The following account was written by Kaat Vander Straeten.

Metrowest 350MA Node Kickoff Event in Sudbury draws crowd

On Thursday night, 7 November, the Sudbury Senior Center filled with sixty activists from all over the Boston's Metro West area eager to get involved in the growing movement to confront the climate crisis.

Almost all of the participants were local activists who see the urgent need to coordinate with statewide and national efforts to raise awareness and mobilize around climate change. To do so, they are teaming up with 350 Massachusetts (http://350ma.org/ ), which is helping to coordinate the rapidly growing movement of climate activists across the state into regional groups called nodes.

Malcolm Bliss, the Statewide Coordinator for 350MA, welcomed the new Metro West "node" into the family, which includes the Boston, Cambridge, North Shore, South Shore, Worcester, and Pioneer Valley Nodes. “Working together we will make Massachusetts an example of how to confront the climate crisis. We will be an example of leadership for the nation,” said Bliss.

350MA works by getting people together in a room, on a street corner, or in the Massachusetts Statehouse, and putting them to work on specific statewide campaigns, among them the Governor's Legacy Campaign and the Divestment Campaign. “If a Node decides to work on other campaigns, they are totally free to do so,” said Dorian Williams of 350MA, “but these are the ones that are the most urgent and powerful at the moment.”

Williams introduced the Governor’s Climate Legacy campaign, which calls on Governor Patrick to implement three concrete asks before he leaves office to solidify his climate legacy. “Ban the Worst,” to rapidly transition Massachusetts beyond coal and ensure a just transition for workers and host communities. “Build Only the Best,” to ensure that all new electricity demand is met by conservation, efficiency, and renewable energy sources. “Make Polluters Pay,” to set up and convene a multi-stakeholder group to evaluate how Massachusetts can be the first state to implement a carbon tax that.

Darcy Dumont, who facilitates the Divestment campaign, commented on the tremendous momentum to enact state S. 1225, the state fossil fuel divestment bill. “It's so exciting,” she said, “to be rapidly growing the movement to take our hard-earned money out of the companies that are doing us grave harm--by adding participants from the intertwining networks of faith groups, college groups, mothers groups, investment professionals, political groups, environmental groups and concerned citizens. We are focused. We are determined. We are going to make Massachusetts the first state to divest from fossil fuels.”

Wen Stephenson, who had opened the meeting with words of Frederick Douglass in 1857 - “If there is no struggle there is no progress.... Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will” - pointed out that “the whole point of the grassroots movement we're building is to push for what science says is necessary, not what the conventional wisdom says is 'politically possible.' Our job is to go to the outer edge of what's 'possible' and push – hard."

Sabine von Mering, from Wayland, had been waiting for this opportunity to join forces with committed climate activists from neighboring towns. “I was struck by how knowledgeable this group of people is about the threats we are facing, and by the determination to engage in this struggle,” said von Mering. “This is an awesome group of people, and I know together we will be successful.”

Bob Morrison of Sudbury, one of the organizers, agreed. “The spirit-uplift of this event is its biggest benefit to me, personally. The speakers are correct that this fight is for life as we know it, and the attendees last night are our local partners going forward!”

This optimism and determination was shared by all, and at the end of the evening the Metro West Node organized itself in a matter of minutes, with most functions filled and the next meeting planned.

The node welcomes residents of the Metro West to the next work meeting, on December 5, at Peace Lutheran Church on 107 Concord Road in Wayland, from 7-9 pm. They will discuss further node organization, campaign talking points, plan a Metro West state divestment forum, set up meetings with and write letters to legislators. The Node also hopes to address issues of child care during meetings and events. For questions, email Metrowest@350ma.org.

Anyone who wants to learn about the climate movement before then can meet some of the main players at a panel discussion presented by ConcordCAN! with Malcolm Bliss of 350MA, Vanessa Rule of Better Future Project and Rev. Fred Small of First Parish Cambridge, on November 15, 7:30 pm at First Parish in Concord (20 Lexington Road).

350 Massachusetts (www.350MA.org) is a volunteer-led, campaign-focused initiative convened and facilitated by Better Future Project, connecting and organizing a strong grassroots coalition to address climate change and build a just and secure future beyond fossil fuels.  350 Massachusetts aims to connect the many people and organizations in Massachusetts who have organized and been involved in 350.org events and who support 350.org’s mission of building a movement to solve the climate crisis.  Better Future Project (www.betterfutureproject.org) was founded to accelerate the growth of a powerful grassroots movement to address the climate crisis and make stronger, healthier, and more resilient communities by advancing a rapid and responsible transition beyond fossil fuels.