Our Mission: Power A Clean Future Ohio is building momentum now for a clean, prosperous future by equipping local leaders for equitable, community-driven carbon reductions in Ohio. |
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Local Action Update
Bexley joins Power A Clean Future Ohio
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We are excited to announce that today, Bexley joins Power A Clean Future Ohio thanks to the leadership of the city's mayor, Ben Kessler. Bexley is the 11th community to join our growing coalition of leading cities across Ohio.
Green Bexley and the city’s Environmental Sustainability Advisory Committee are working with the City to accomplish its Zero Waste objective by 2040. There are a number of opportunities available to the city in their work with Power a Clean Future Ohio that can build off of the community’s ongoing sustainability projects. Deploying additional electric vehicles, considering electric aggregation for residential clean energy, and creating new opportunities for residents, businesses, and government operations to reduce energy waste.
“We applaud Mayor Kessler and the commitment of the entire community on embracing a bold path for sustainability and clean energy. These priorities are not just good for the environment, but they support economic growth and the health and well-being Bexley residents,” said Joe Flarida, Executive Director of PCFO.
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What Will Adoption of Electric Vehicles Mean for Grid Resiliency? |
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In the wake of the recent and widespread power outages in Texas, a flurry of discussion has emerged around electric grid stability and resiliency, especially as climate change increases the frequency and severity of winter storms, heat waves, and hurricanes.
Coming up with ways to buoy grid resiliency and decrease the chances of long-lasting and widespread power outages is as important in Ohio as it is in Texas. One solution comes from an unlikely source: electric vehicles (EVs).
Grid resiliency is the ability of electricity infrastructure to react to and minimize the consequences of unforeseen events, such as abnormally high demand, natural disasters, or infrastructure damage. When we think of EVs as “great big batteries on wheels,” the grid is no longer static. Electric cars, trucks, and buses are extensions of electricity infrastructure. When their usage increases, the grid becomes flexible and more responsive to local needs. In addition, off-peak charging habits help flatten the electricity demand curve for everyone. A more consistent, equitable, and predictable demand curve improves generation efficiency and costs for everyone, not just EV drivers.
So as the nation continues the important conversations about grid resiliency, remember that electric vehicles will not worsen this issue, they actually ease the burden on the grid, provide emergency solutions, and assist in developing new, clean-energy electricity solutions that benefit all people in Ohio and across the United States.
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We cannot achieve social justice without environmental and climate justice |
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While many Ohioans have been experiencing the negative effects of Covid-19 and the continuous threat of climate change, marginalized communities experience the disproportionate impact of social and environmental inequities and inequalities every day of their lives.
"Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) communities experience the brunt of our environmental burdens, said Jayson Velazquez, columnist at the Columbus Dispatch. "Our communities were built upon the racist policies of redlining from the 1930s, which placed BIPOC individuals near heavily polluted and undesirable areas such as highways, refineries, and coal-burning power plants.
"Latines are 51% more likely to live in a county that violates ground-level ozone standards, while Black Americans are exposed to 1.5 times more sooty ash from burning fossil fuels than others. Many of these highly impacted communities also have increased exposure to methane, a greenhouse gas that is 80 times as potent as carbon dioxide."
With data from a multitude of scientific studies showing us that the health and safety of BIPOC are at risk due to the past and current oil and gas infrastructure, we, as a country, won't be able to truly achieve social justice without addressing environmental and climate justice, too.
As the new Biden administration has committed to addressing these environmental injustices, advocates and decision-makers are encouraged to not ignore the historical inequities on BIPOC but to use utilize that knowledge to drive the future of our energy production to enhance the lives of future generations.
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WATCH: Equity Coaching Info Session
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Last week, Power A Clean Future Ohio hosted an information session on the newly launched Equity Coaching for Sustainable Cities Program. If your city is interested in participating, you can view the recording (Passcode: =Luf9%j?) and share with others. This program provides a small group of city leaders and staff the chance to engage with each other on the issues of racial equity, access to resources, and representation. The city can also receive a greenhouse gas inventory to baseline their emissions as another benefit of participating in the program. Applications to participate are available on the PCFO website, along with information on how to become a PCFO Equity Coach.
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Make the #Ohio30by30 pledge |
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Sign PCFO's #Ohio30by30 pledge for healthy kids, healthy communities, clean air, and job growth built on clean energy! Join a group of leading local governments committing to a 30% carbon footprint reduction by 2030.
Communities are already stepping up to ensure Ohio is positioned to prosper and lead in the 21st Century clean energy economy. But together we can do so much more. Local governments have an opportunity to take advantage of major cost savings and implement climate solutions that will attract private sector investment and spur job growth.
Ready to sign on and be recognized at the Ohio Clean Energy Summit in May? Contact Joe Flarida at [email protected]
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Ohio Clean Energy Summit: Local Communities Lead will be on May 20 from 10-11:30 a.m.
Join PCFO, our partners, and the City of Cincinnati for a week of panels to learn how you can transform your city by committing to a 30% carbon footprint reduction by 2030. This summit is a great place to learn more and begin creating your city's plan. More information to come!
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PCFO Partner Spotlight: Colerain Chamber of Commerce |
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Tell us about Colerain Chamber
The Colerain Chamber of Commerce was formed in 2014 and is comprised currently of over 200 members from area businesses, non-profits, churches and other stakeholders like Colerain Township and the Northwest Local School District. Its president/CEO is Dave Moravec who brings over 35 years of business leadership into the role. The Colerain Chamber also has a 14 person board of directors that is comprised of so many business leaders that have a caring/giving heart. The following is our Mission Statement:
The Colerain Chamber of Commerce seeks to advance the economic, industrial, professional, commercial, cultural and civic welfare of the Northwest Cincinnati area; to encourage the growth of existing industries and businesses while giving all proper assistance to any new firms or individuals seeking to locate in the area; to provide business and industrial education to the people of Colerain Township and the surrounding areas; and to support all those activities determined to be beneficial to the local business community and surrounding areas.
To that end, our Core Focus is kept rather simple:
- Supporting one another both professionally and personally
- Connecting with organizations & individuals
- Celebrating successes, milestones, and achievements
Why is it important for Colerain Chamber to be involved in PCFO?
Businesses are normally comprised of a business owner or owners, their employees, vendor relationships and customers. All of these individuals can make an impact in our community to reduce waste, increase environmental awareness, and utilize more efficient energy sources that are friendly for our planet. As a chamber of commerce and community, we can take the lead in this area which in turn adds value to chamber membership; giving business owners another reason to make good business decisions for themselves.
How do you see local action on clean energy impacting your work?
As the Colerain Chamber of Commerce CEO, I believe that PCFO can help provide the guidance required in order to extend our messaging. Resources across our volunteer community can be energized (figuratively) which may spill over into younger business owners, children across the community, and residents looking for leadership in this area. I believe that involvement by our chamber membership will also add to the myriad of reasons that a company joins the chamber of commerce and jump on the bandwagon.
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Interested in getting started? Join today! |
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PCFO is an expansive, diverse coalition engaging with cities and local governments across the state of Ohio to build a clean future for our communities. Power A Clean Future Ohio is empowering local leaders with tools and resources to create carbon reduction plans and implement them in ways that are achievable, measurable, equitable and economical.
Our coalition of expert organizations wants to share our technical expertise and resources with your community. If your community wants to work on plans to reduce emissions, attract business investment, implement equitable clean energy policy, and reduce costs – contact us today to set up a meeting!
If your business or organizations would like to support PCFO, we invite you to join the campaign as a PCFO Partner. Contact us for more details.
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