Where we are and where we are going.....Stay connected |
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A MESSAGE FROM THE DIRECTOR |
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Energy Security in a Changing America
As we wait for details of the 2020 census, there is one thing we already know -- the U.S. is becoming increasingly diverse. That diversity is bringing with it both challenges and opportunities in all aspects of American life, including how we produce and access energy. We often take for granted our ability to flip a switch and have the lights come on, but increasingly the security of our access to energy has been called into question. We have seen the devastation that can come from catastrophic interruptions, as in the Texas winter storm, and the uncertainty that comes from rolling blackouts in California as a result of precarious wildfire conditions. The difficulties of power restoration after a major hurricane can put adequate shelter, clean water, food distribution, and basic communications in jeopardy for weeks. There are some common threads in these situations. The first is that climate change is playing a significant role, and the second is that people who are most vulnerable are often those who are least able to absorb additional adversity. Lower income and communities of color are frequently the hardest hit and have fewer resources to ensure resilience. In this month's newsletter we are very pleased to report on a new organization that is positioned to explore these issues -- The Ohio Climate Justice Fund. Please join GEO in welcoming them and supporting their efforts to address these critical issues.
A lot of what you will find in the newsletter this month was written by GEO staff members Courtney VanHuffel and Emerson Bannon. Both Courtney and Emerson started as interns last year and have now moved into new positions -- Courtney as Communications and Member Relations Director and Emerson as the EV Tour Director. Courtney has previously written several of the Member Spotlight articles for GEO, and is writing here about the Climate Change Book Club and the Women in Clean Energy initiative. Emerson has been focused on research for the Tour since we first put forward the idea, and has taken over coordination of the statewide Working Group efforts. You will see his piece on the Northeast Ohio portion of the Tour below. Both are graduating this month -- Emerson from Miami University and Courtney from the University of Notre Dame. They represent the future of environmental activism and GEO is lucky to have them.
We want to sincerely thank all the participants who joined us for GEO's Earth Day Weekend 2021 Virtual 5K Run, Walk, and Bike event. The 5K was a great way to celebrate our individual health and the health of the planet through connection with nature, and to meet new GEO friends along the way! From Oxford to Granville, OH, all the way to South Bend, IN, St. Paul, MN, Las Vegas, NV, and Washington, DC, we were pleased and inspired by your 5K adventures. Please watch for the 5K next year – with such great success, we are looking forward to making it an annual Earth Day event!
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Jane Harf, Executive Director |
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THE NEW FACE OF CLEAN ENERGY |
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This month, GEO, in partnership with Blue Rock Station, held the first meeting of a new Women in Clean Energy initiative. The vision for this group is to celebrate the increasingly large role that women play in all aspects of the industry and find ways to encourage more diversity through recruiting, training, and mentoring. We intend to build a strong and supportive network for women, with opportunities for leadership development and career growth. As opportunities continue to grow, our goal is to explore and support all of the positions that women occupy, including technical and engineering roles; human resources, finance, and office management; sales and marketing; nonprofit leadership; and government affairs.
In the first conversation, participants shared their personal experiences in the clean energy sector, discussed how to recruit more women into the industry, and began to identify the types of assistance and support we can provide to each other. A dominant theme from the discussion was how women's careers frequently take interesting and circuitous routes for a variety of reasons. Participants’ experiences shed light on the dynamic and non-linear ways that their careers developed – both in and out of clean energy – compared to their male colleagues. Moving forward, the group plans to identify ways to provide mentorship for young women who are either interested or starting out in the clean energy sector.
An expanded Women in Clean Energy group will be meeting again on Tuesday, May 25 at 12:00 PM, where we will begin to develop strategies for pursuing these goals.
If you are a woman working in the clean energy industry or know others who are, let us know by contacting [email protected]
We encourage you to join us!
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The 2021 GEO EV Tour in Northeast Ohio!
The GEO EV Tour will kick off on Monday, June 7 in Northeast Ohio, home to a number of innovative clean energy projects and vehicle electrification initiatives that we're excited to showcase. Our NEO regional team has planned stops highlighting different dimensions of vehicle electrification. A big thanks to NAPA Auto Parts, Laketran, Sway Mobility, NOPEC, and BRITE Energy Innovators, who are all sponsoring the tour regionally!
The Future of Transportation in Greater Cleveland
We will start the day on Monday in Shaker Heights, under the solar canopy at the Unitarian Universalist Church, joined by Mayor David Weiss and other local officials. At other planned stops in Cuyahoga and Lake Counties, Tour participants will get a look at the potential of clean public transportation, workforce training programs, and the EV supply chain. Greater Cleveland has among the largest concentration of EV infrastructure in the state, which allows for broad integration of EVs into the private sector, the public arena, and everyday life.
Voltage Valley and Reinventing Manufacturing
In Warren, we will be taking a step inside the "Voltage Valley," where we will explore new developments in the Mahoning Valley as it continues to emerge as a leader in EV innovation and manufacturing. BRITE Energy Innovators will be hosting a panel, including invited speakers from LG Ultium and Lordstown Motors. We are also bringing community members and labor groups to the table for a discussion of the possibilities in the Valley brought by clean energy and EV manufacturing.
Smaller Communities Move Forward
We won’t leave NEO without a couple of stops in smaller communities who are serving the EV interests of their residents. In Oberlin, we will highlight Oberlin EV Carshare, a first-in-the-state public EV carshare program that supports Oberlin’s Climate Action Plan. We will also feature the Paradox Prize grant that provides a shared EV for Place to Recover (job placement and training) and Catholic Charities’ St. Elizabeth men’s homeless shelter. In Wooster, we will hear about electric bicycles powered by solar panels, providing a unique transportation option for the surrounding Amish community, and a community charging station that has operated on the honor system since 2014.
Thanks to Northeast Ohio Teams members Tom Rapini, Valerie Garrett, Michael Peters, Michael Benson, Pat Valente, Fred Michel, Sara Daugherty, Melanie Knowles, and Tom Marting for all their hard work.
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ADDRESSING ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE |
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GEO Welcomes The Ohio Climate Justice Fund
Green Energy Ohio is very pleased to announce the creation of The Ohio Climate Justice Fund (OCJF), an emerging initiative that will invest in Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) organizations in Ohio, working at the intersection of racial justice and climate action.
Efforts to advance a clean energy future have historically excluded diverse voices, and studies have shown that nonprofit organizations led by people of color receive only a fraction of the philanthropic investment that White-led organizations receive.
The OCJF was created to elevate a diverse coalition of advocates that will build the power to influence policy change and help move us toward a just and inclusive clean energy economy for Ohio.
Assisted by an advisory board of Ohio environmental leaders and launched with seed funding and support from the George Gund Foundation, Energy Foundation, and the Cleveland Foundation, the OCJF seeks to advance accessible community education and community listening efforts centered on creating a sustainable, equitable future for Ohio.
The OCJF will award at least 15 one-time grants in response to applications due by COB on May 19, 2021. Organizations may apply to receive a one-time grant in the amount of $15,000 to $30,000 to host a minimum of three virtual Listen. Lead. Share. (LLS) conversations about the best and most effective ways to address climate and environmental justice in their communities. OCJF sees intentional and authentic community listening as the first step in organizing grassroots power in support of advancing equitable clean energy policies.
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As attention at the Ohio Statehouse focuses on the biennial budget, we are taking this space to update GEO supporters on elements in the Biden Administration American Jobs Plan that compliment the work we do here.
- $35 billion in the full range of solutions needed to achieve technology breakthroughs that address the climate crisis and position America as the global leader in clean energy technology and clean energy jobs.
- $46 billion to jumpstart clean energy manufacturing.
- $174 billion investment in vehicle electrification.
- $85 billion to modernize existing transit and help agencies expand their systems to meet rider demand for bus, rapid transit and rail.
- $20 billion to reconnect neighborhoods cut off by historic investments and ensure new projects increase opportunity, advance racial equity and environmental justice, and promote affordable access.
- Investments to support infrastructure in those communities most vulnerable physically and financially to climate-driven disasters and to build back above existing codes and standards.
- Commitment to purchasing 24/7 clean power for federal buildings.
- Investments in protection from extreme wildfires, coastal resilience to sea-level rise and hurricanes, support for agricultural resources management and climate-smart technologies, and the protection and restoration of major land and water resources like Florida’s Everglades and the Great Lakes.
- A ten-year extension and phase down of an expanded direct-pay investment tax credit and production tax credit for clean energy generation and storage.
- Rigorous standards for worker, public, and environmental safety as well as environmental justice while moving toward 100 percent carbon-pollution free power by 2035.
To learn more about where GEO stands, please read the Green Energy Ohio 2021-2022 Policy Statement recently adopted by the Board of Directors.
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You are invited to join us for a discussion of Climate Fiction at our second Virtual Climate Change Book Club Event on Thursday, May 27 at 7:00 pm.
One of the biggest challenges when talking about climate change is selecting a format that will resonate with the audience. There are a lot of books that approach climate from a purely scientific perspective, but most of us do not want to feel as if we’re in a classroom when we sit down to read at the end of a long day. For the GEO Book Club, we have selected a mix of options: old and new, science and journalism, first-hand experiences and case studies. We have diversified with documentaries and podcasts to reflect the different ways we access information, and we’ve tried to choose books that have audio and online options. Our virtual book event in February featured Rising: Dispatches from the New American Shore by Elizabeth Rush, a beautifully written, journalistic account of one woman’s journey to learn more about the impact of rising sea levels.
This month, we are changing the format to delve into the world of Cli-Fi – Climate Fiction. The setting can be past, present, or future; the tone can be dark or hopeful; the characters heroic or blameworthy. We asked a few people for their favorites:
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Craig Foster, GEO Board of Directors – The Overstory by Richard Powers
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Courtney VanHuffel, GEO Director of Communications & Member Relations – Dust Lands by Moira Young
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Jane Harf, GEO Executive Director – Flight Behavior by Barbara Kingsolver
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Bob McCollister, GEO Board of Directors – The Ministry for the Future by Kim Stanley Robinson
We welcome you to add to that list at our next Virtual Book Club event on May 27 at 7:00 PM, where we will discuss how we can communicate about climate change through fictional storylines. Bring your favorite Cli-Fi book to discuss, or just come to hear our suggestions for how to dive into this genre. Follow GEO's Facebook group Climate Change Book Club - Because Knowledge is Power! to stay updated on the event. We look forward to seeing you there!
Here are some useful guides to begin an exploration of Climate Fiction:
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