In March 2020, Groundswell launched its Energy Futures webinar series in order to create and maintain connections with our partners and communities. This series of free webinars featured speakers on a variety of topics and is now available online
How to think like a futurist in uncertain times
In our series kickoff, American futurist Ari Wallach (@ariw) Founder and Executive Director of Longpath, emphasized that “thinking like a futurist” means understanding that there is not just one predictable future that’s going to happen to us – but rather that there are many possible futures that we can build and shape together.
Vincent Duane, former Senior Vice President: Law, Compliance & External Relations, PJM presented a fresh vision and led a discussion about the role of the Regional Transmission Organizations that coordinate and monitor multi-state electricity grids in decarbonizing our energy futures. We explored the link between state, corporate, and community renewable energy goals and RTO reform; connections to the electrification of the transportation sector; and the importance of governance.
From Policy Into Practice: Building Community Power
Bracken Hendricks, Founder of Urban Ingenuity, Co-Founder of Evergreeen, and Co-Author of Apollo's Fire, led us through a discussion of how he built Urban Ingenuity to demonstrate high-level policy ideas through leading-edge projects. Their goals are to support housing affordability, wealth creation, and community resilience through environmentally sustainable infrastructure investments – including the community solar project at Rhode Island Row.
Chandra Farley, Just Energy Director at Partnership for Southern Equity, and Euneika Rogers-Sipp, Groundswell distinguished fellow, led a discussion on Afrofuturism. Afrofuturism imagines a future that values Black lives and social justice through the creative power of Black culture, music, film, literature, and science fiction. It’s also a powerful frame from which we can envision a more equitable energy future that puts the black and brown community and working people first.
Storytelling During a Pandemic
Journalist Molly Taft and Groundswell Director of Communications & Marketing Bartees Cox led a discussion on how NGOs, advocates, and media professionals can create localized, accurate, and inspiring information while traditional media channels are in crisis mode.