Upcoming events and more

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“FROM PUERTO RICO TO TURTLE ISLAND...POWER TO THE PEOPLE”
Photo from the West Coast REFOCUS Regional Gathering - April 12, 2024

Hello John,

Spring has officially arrived, and our work is blossoming as more people come together to affirm: we must be empowered to make our own decisions about the cost, source, and reliability of energy, instead of allowing corporations to profit off of something we need to survive and thrive.

At every turn, wealthy power companies put profits over people, planet, and the quality of service they provide. It’s time to hold greedy CEOs and the politicians they pay for accountable.

Energy Democracy Project collaborators and allies like you are gathering virtually and in-person to ensure that every community can chart our own futures rooted in justice, repairing and reviving the places we call home. Join us!

What We've Been Up To
Last week, organizers gathered on Ohlone territory (Oakland, CA) as part of our first Regional Gathering of 2024.

Our day-long event hosted activities that brought us into discussion, creative expression, and movement-building for energy democracy. We were lucky to have Batey Tambo bless the space with Bomba music of the Puerto Rican Afro-Indigenous tradition.

Thanks to the following allies and collaborators who attended: Local Clean Energy Alliance, People Power Solar, Emerald Cities Collaborative, Communities for a Better Environment, Oregon Just Transition Alliance, CA Green New Deal Campaign, Reclaim our Power Utility Justice Campaign, The Butterfly Movement, Vote Solar, and the Center for Interdisciplinary Environmental Studies.

Weren't able to join the gathering, but still want to learn with us?
* Boost your messaging: Use our messaging guide (bit.ly/REFOCUSmessaging) to emphasize people power and our vision for a future where Black, Brown, Indigenous, and low-income communities make our own decisions about our energy systems
* Up your facilitation game: Use ([link removed]) the facilitation guide (bit.ly/REFOCUSfacilitation) to host conversations of your own around energy democracy
* Learn about organizing happening across the country: Sign on in solidarity ([link removed]) with Puerto Rican activists, then click around our website to read stories of organizing for a democratized, decentralized, and decolonized energy future

Upcoming Events
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VIRTUAL: Thursday, April 18 - 4PM PT/7 PM ET 350US National Utilities Campaign Kick-off ([link removed] )

Are you ready to learn more about the connection between your high energy bills, the climate crisis, and what can you do about it?

Join our partner @350US on April 18th at 7pm ET ([link removed]) and help stop utility companies from using your money against the interests of people and the planet! Crystal Huang of the Energy Democracy Project and Mariel Nanasi of New Energy Economy (EDP Collaborator) will be speaking alongside powerful organizers nationwide.

You’ll hear first-hand accounts of the financial and health impacts that utilities have had on people’s lives, identify the main culprits and villains, and learn from key partners leading this fight locally and across the country.
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VIRTUAL: Friday, April 19 - 10-11 AM PT/1-2 PM ET - Vote Solar's "The Solar Panel". ([link removed])

Vote Solar's Solar Panel Call ([link removed]) is a monthly online gathering that unites clean energy advocates nationwide, aimed at sharing experiences, fostering meaningful conversations, and celebrating achievements in the field.

Energy Democracy Project's Selena Feliciano (National Campaign Coordinator, REFOCUS) will be speaking about Puerto Rico, opportunities for solidarity across the country, and how we can work together to de-emphasize technology in our path to a Just future.
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IN-PERSON: Saturday, May 4th - 11 AM - 2 PM CT - ([link removed]) Cleveland Owns 5 Year Celebration (Cleveland, OH) ([link removed])


Energy Democracy Project collaborator Cleveland Owns is celebrating 5 years of building people power in Cleveland, OH ([link removed]) . Attendees will share brunch, project highlights, and a keynote speech from the powerful amaha sellassie of Co-op Dayton.
Participants can also nominate a person or group for the first annual Cleveland Owns Cooperator of the Year award by April 26. This award, presented on May 4th, is a chance to celebrate one of the many–many!–people and groups doing powerful things for economic democracy in the Midwest.
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IN-PERSON: Tuesday, May 7th - 6:30-8:30 PM ET - Palestine & Climate Justice: Militarism as a Driver of Climate Crisis (Washington, D.C.) ([link removed])

The ongoing, escalating genocide in Palestine is not just a humanitarian and political catastrophe, but an ecological crisis that will extend even more suffering.

Our friends at the Climate and Community Project will draw from their research on the role of militarism as a driver of climate crisis and panelist expertise on the recent resurgence of progressive anti-war organizing. They're inviting the public to an in-person discussion on Tuesday, May 7, 6:30-8:30pm ([link removed]) , in Washington DC.

Patrick Bigger of the Climate and Community Project, a panelist in our January webinar "From Puerto Rico to Palestine: Reimagining New Futures", is a featured speaker!

We're invigorated by the energy of the season....and these events are just the tip of the iceberg! Because together, we're driving a transformation: by shifting power from Wall Street and profit-driven power companies to communities, we're making all of our homes places where we all breathe clean air, drink safe water, and live a good life.

See you soon!
In solidarity,
Selena Feliciano
National Campaign Coordinator, Energy Democracy Project
[email protected] (mailto:[email protected])

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