Letter: Berkshire Gas is Not an Appropriate Sponsor for Town Sustainability Festival
Scene from a previous Amherst Sustainability Festival. Photo: amherstma.gov
BY Violet Nolan and Julian Hynes
Sunrise Amherst, the local hub of a youth-led, intersectional movement working to advance the Green New Deal, and promote climate, racial, and economic justice in our community has been involved in the Amherst Sustainability Festival for many years. We are thankful to the Town of Amherst for putting on this event, and have enjoyed tabling, recruiting new members, spreading awareness, and advocating for local solutions to climate change at the event. However, this year is different. Berkshire Gas, a Natural Gas Company owned by Avangrid and UIL Holdings, is attempting to sponsor the Amherst Sustainability Festival and advertise their products to Amherst residents using the town’s resources at the fair. This is undoubtedly in an attempt to falsely brand themselves as a climate-friendly company that is making an impact on the climate crisis through their work.
Sunrise Amherst is concerned about this sponsorship because, while the event is bringing awareness to climate change, Berkshire Gas is not an appropriate sponsor, as fossil fuels (natural gas, coal, petroleum, oil shales, bitumens, tar sands, and heavy oils.) are all dirty fuels that have the most significant role in causing the current climate crisis. Berkshire Gas is a distributor of these fuels and stands to make millions from the continued use of fossil fuels in our region. The Commitment to Action, by the Amherst Energy and Climate Action Committee in the town’s Climate Action, Adaptation and Resilience Plan (CAARP), says “We commit ourselves to the success of this plan. We will lend our passion and expertise across all sectors of town, ensuring climate action, equity and resilience remain at the center of all municipal decisions. The road ahead is marked with big changes – from our buildings and roads, to the way we eat and the air we breathe. When successful, we will do more than reduce our carbon emissions. We will see reduced utility costs for homes, businesses, and government; Healthier, more comfortable and cost-conscious homes; Improved air quality, public health, and overall quality of life.” Despite having made this statement, the town’s Energy and Climate Action Committee is working with the town’s Sustainability Department to present this festival with Berkshire Gas as a sponsor.
Sunrise Amherst believes it is in direct contradiction to the commitment above for Berkshire Gas, a company that profits off of fossil fuels that increase carbon emissions, charge ever increasing rates for service, and contribute to air and water quality degradation, to sponsor this event. Amherst prides itself on being a climate conscious and environmentally progressive town. Having Berkshire Gas as a sponsor does not live up to our aspirations as a community.
Violet Nolan and Julian Hynes are members of Sunrise Amherst and students at Amherst Regional High School.
The Enviro Show supports Sunrise Amherst in their effort to avoid the promotion of fossil fuels at the Town Sustainability Festival (formerly the Earth Day Festival). Does the event really need a private company or corporation to sponsor this town celebration?
I agree with Sunrise Amherst. for quite a number of years I was an organizer of our Amherst Earth Day gathering.
Thank you, Violet and Julian and Sunrise Amherst, for bringing this issue to light. I agree that a Sustainability Festival sponsored by a fossil fuel company makes no sense.
Thanks Don! The event costs about $4,000 to put on, and the town dedicated 200,000 per year in capital funds to the Sustainability Department, so I am sure the town if it needed to could afford to pay for the event. Finance officials would just have to decide where that money would come from. We could also pursue a non-fossil fuel sponsor to cover the costs.
Zero Waste Amherst can be added to the list of organizations requesting that the town drop Berkshire Gas as sponsor of the Sustainability Fair – for all the reasons stated above. And thanks to Sunrise for bringing this issue forward.