Following the Global Climate Strike, 350 Mass members took a 9-foot tall Governor Charlie Baker puppet on a week long tour of the state to visit the places that his administration is failing to provide real climate leadership.

Kickoff of Charlie’s Climate Catastrophe Tour 

To kickoff the tour, 350 Mass members and allies rallied in downtown Boston. With a focus on “accessible, affordable, reliable, electric” transit, “Charlie” and his fossil fuel executive friends were questioned in front of the state house and taken through the streets and T stations. Check out this video from the action.

Saugus Wheelabrator incinerator

“Charlie” met with his constituents in Saugus to hear about the stinky, toxic Wheelabrator incinerator burdening their community and environment. The incinerator, which generates toxic ash from burning trash, is located in the otherwise beautiful Rumney Marsh. The toxic ash is then dumped into a nearby, unlined landfill, meaning that there is no barrier to stop the toxins from seeping into the marsh or groundwater. Despite all of this, and the fact that the plant is at a high risk for flooding, there are plans to expand its operation. Follow SAVE (Saugus Action Volunteers for the Environment) on Facebook to stay up to date on this fight. 

In 1949, Jacqueline Steiner and Bess Lomax Hawes wrote "Charlie on the MTA" as the mayoral campaign song for the Progressive Party candidate in Boston. The witty lyrics tell the story of a man named Charlie who get's lost in Boston's decrepit subway system.

70 years down the road, 350 Mass volunteers rewrote the lyrics to the iconic song to highlight how much further the MBTA has fallen into disrepair under Governor Charlie Baker! An affordable, accessible,  reliable, and green public transportation system is what we need for justice in our communities and to transition to a clean energy future for all.

Watch the full video here!

The Green New Deal has captured the imagination of people around the United States. Here in Massachusetts, 350 Mass Volunteers have committed to pursuing the Road to a Massachusetts Green New Deal as our organization's campaign for 2019-2020.

What does that mean? Good question. 

We believe that a Green New Deal in Massachusetts must include three primary components:

1. A rapid decarbonization of our economy
2. Massive government investment in green jobs and climate resilience infrastructure
3. Address longstanding racial, economic, environmental, and other social inequities

Keeping those three components in mind, we recognize that 350 Massachusetts can not embark on this project alone. For far too long the climate movement has attempted to take unilateral action on the climate crisis and failed. In "Open Letter From 1 Sky From the Grassroots," grassroots environmental, climate, labor, and economic justice groups voiced their concern with how climate advocacy groups made decisions and compromised on behalf of low-income communities and communities of color on the frontlines. 

In response to their criticisms, and the concerns about the Green New Deal raised by the Climate Justice Alliance, we are committed to building a truly representative table of labor groups, environmental justice groups, climate action groups, and others to discuss what will be included in a Massachusetts Green New Deal. 

Meanwhile, we are also committed to continue to grow our capacity as a movement, at the municipal and state levels, by expanding our base and pursuing tactics that align with the primary components of the Green New Deal mentioned above. See our plans in greater detail here.

Watch this webinar to see hear more about our plans for the Road to a MA Green New Deal: