On Wednesday April 21, the evening before Earth Day, I attended the Leadership Campaign’s final sleep-out of the semester on the Boston Commons. Unlike those on the Amherst and Cambridge Commons, this sleep-out did not have the official permission required to legally pitch a tent and spend the night. It did, however, have the same goals and gusto as every preceding sleep-out. The Leadership Campaign, joined by the Students for a Just and Stable Future (SJSF), organizes sleep-outs as a means of political demonstration. Both the Campaign and SJSF were formed on the premise that Massachusetts could emerge as a national leader in taking steps to prevent climate change.

One initiative involves creating a “Green Checks” system that would grant residents and businesses compensation for switching to green energy sources. Along these lines, the organizations also promote state-provided green jobs in building retrofitting. Retrofitting homes involves weather-proofing procedures and ultimately ensures that buildings use less energy.

Aside from using less energy, the organizations have some large-scale plans for Massachusetts. More than anything, the organizations attempt to draw attention to the “Act to Create a Repower MA Emergency Task Force.” If passed, this legislation would establish a 12-person group to advise the state on matters of clean electricity.

The sleep-out rallied students from many schools, including Amherst Regional High School, Mount Holyoke, Hampshire, UMass Amherst, Tufts, Boston College, Northeastern College, Harvard and Lesley. Located directly across the street from the State House, tent-pitching and rallying started at 6 p.m. on the green.
Due to the event’s illegality, students had the option of sleeping in a nearby church after evening events in the park. By midnight, those of us in the church received word of the police’s anticipated arrival to deal with people still in tents.

Standing at the gates just outside the Commons, I joined kids from all over the US, representing colleges from all over Massachusetts. Together, we watched as warnings and, eventually, citations were issued to demonstrators bold enough to remain in tents. And although no one said much as we stood and watched, we each probably had similar thoughts. I personally don’t call Massachusetts home, but protective actions as a whole must flourish from roots. Whether you’re from New York or Boston, San Francisco or San Juan, the realization that you can make a difference regardless of location is powerful. Repowering this state would demonstrate to 49 others the urgency of addressing climate change in a nation that has been inert for too long.

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2. Sleeping our way towards a sustainable future
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