#EEDay2020: Celebrate the Opportunities Energy Efficiency Provide to uplift Black and Brown Communities

As sustainability leaders, we see and know that the clean energy transition has begun and is accelerating — regardless of the last gasps of climate change deniers. Therefore, as BIPOC sustainability leaders, we are determined to ensure that this transition is a just one.

That’s why we joined forces with Kinetic Communities Consulting Communities (KC³) to hold #EEDay2020, on October 7, 2020.

RSVP here: https://lnkd.in/drbEa2F.

Achieving energy efficiency is just common sense — the first step in the energy transition. But it’s much more than that. If done strategically, work to achieve energy efficiency can be a boon to those on the frontlines of climate impacts by improving the health of homes, creating sustainable high-paying green jobs, reducing air pollution in communities harmed by industrial neglect, and more.

Below we highlight just a few of the event speakers who will discuss ways to challenge industry titans, ensure a society-wide reduction of energy consumption while simultaneously eliminating energy insecurities, and leading a path toward a carbon-free future:

Rhiana-Gunn Wright: Director of Climate Policy at the Roosevelt Institute. Rhiana is the architect of the Green New Deal. To Rhiana, climate policy has always been connected to social justice. Her interview with the New York Times highlights how the coronavirus has made climate issues even more stark. In the interview, she discusses the trajectory of her career, especially the challenges of leading as a Black woman in the predominantly white male world of environmental policy. It’s a must-read.

Jigar Shah: President and Co-Founder of Generate Capital, the leading investment and operating platform for sustainable infrastructure. Founded in 2014, Generate Capital is the only “one-stop-shop” for pioneers leading the Resource Revolution. Before Generate, as the Founder and CEO of SunEdison, Shah pioneered “no money down solar,” which unlocked a multi-billion-dollar solar market and became the largest solar services company worldwide before its acquisition by MEMC. He’s also the cohost of Greentech Media’s celebrated Energy Gang podcast.

Sydney Céspedes: Campaign Manager with Green for All, where she works to advance the team’s Safe Homes, Energy Efficiency and Green Jobs campaigns that advocate for deep investments in low-income, clean, and energy efficiency programs, and an inclusive green economy. Sydney Céspedes is a proud daughter of Colombian immigrants. She grew up traveling back and forth to her parent’s home country and visiting family along the Caribbean coast and the Andes. These experiences shaped her understanding and the value of community and social resilience. Sydney has a background in urban planning, community engagement, and community-driven policy change grounded in racial, economic and environmental justice principles

Adriana Espinoza: First-ever Senor Advisor in Environmental Justice to the NYC Mayor’s Office on Climate Change. Adriana is leading the execution of New York City’s first comprehensive study and plan for incorporating environmental justice into City decision- making processes. Prior to the Mayor’s Office, she served as New York City Program Director at the New York League of Conservation Voters. Her focus was advocating the Mayor and City Council to build a more sustainable city and invest in aggressive climate action. She fought along others for many of the City’s biggest climate victories including the Climate Mobilization Act, Commercial Waste Zones, and a historic $44 million investment in parks in 2019.

Kristal Hansley: Founder and Chief Executive Officer of We Solar. As CEO, Kristal brings affordable and accessible community solar energy to under-resourced communities and assists commercial properties with energy efficiency. Kristal is “the first black woman to launch a community solar company, and did so on Juneteenth.”

RSVP here to hear from these speakers and many more, and learn more about the intersections of energy efficiency and environmental justice. See you there!

Note: #EEDay2020 is held on Energy Efficiency Day (the first Wednesday in October — Oct. 7, 2020), a collaborative effort of dozens of energy efficiency advocacy groups around the United States. The Energy Efficiency Day message is simple: “Save Money. Cut Pollution. Create Jobs.” Since the inaugural Energy Efficiency Day in 2016, this annual awareness event has been supported by hundreds of prominent organizations, companies, government agencies and others. Our goal is to share tips, tools and stories that promote the multiple benefits of energy efficiency, from lower costs to healthier homes. Energy efficiency is the cheapest, quickest way to meet our energy needs, cut consumer bills and reduce pollution. Energy efficiency is also an economic engine, supporting more than 2.4 million jobs nationwide in manufacturing, construction and other fields — most of which can’t be outsourced overseas. https://energyefficiencyday.org/