matt scott, manager of storytelling and engagement at project drawdown, is working to “pass the mic” to underrepresented climate change makers. in this pairing of interviews, matt chats with eli chen, senior editor for overheard at national geographic, and mckenzie allen-charmley, planet forward comcast nbcuniversal sustainable storytelling fellow, to discuss what “passing the mic” means to them.

watch “drawdown’s neighborhood” to see matt “pass the mic” to climate heroes.

listen to eli’s work on “overheard at national geographic.”

i was lucky enough to have the privilege of attending cop26 as a delegate from the university of connecticut, where i am currently a senior environmental studies student. on my second day at the conference, i heard an indigenous bolivian woman—angélica ponce chambi—speak about gender equality and climate change, the role that indigenous women have in protecting the environment, and the need for immediate global action for environmental protection. it was beautiful and it was moving. it’s one of the relatively few events at cop that gave me genuine hope. another such moment came in hearing from emtithal “emi” mahmoud, a sudanese-american poet and advocate for refugees. what the two speakers have in common is personal experience. they didn’t get a comfortable delegate job through family connections, because they’re wealthy, or any other reason based on luck and privilege. 

rather, both are from a community already feeling the impacts of climate disasters, communities doing the real work to recover. they have been impacted, and they are fighting every day for real action. they are on the frontlines.

these are the people we need to hear from. communities have solutions—ones that are often more effective because they are created by the people who are affected by the problem and will be affected by the solution.

i know that cop is about politics; i know that countries, people, organizations, and corporations are there to make a statement and negotiate deals. but what if, for just a moment, we paused and listened? truly listened, with empathy and caring, to those being most impacted, to the community organizers, to those who are not usually heard. i’m not naive. i know that listening won’t suddenly make all of our differences disappear, that the negotiations won’t suddenly become easy, but i do believe it would help.

the problem is different when we’re able to see it through a human and community lens. it’s harder to think of it as just a policy issue, and not a people issue. when you think of something as a people issue, what choice is there but to act? when there’s a face and a story, and when we listen with empathy, we can see ourselves, and our loved ones in that story.

when i heard mahmoud speak, i heard someone with a different past, and different identities from me—but also someone who shares an identity as an activist, and a frustration with cop for ignoring the voices of those being affected. when i heard chambi speak, i again heard someone with different identities and backgrounds, but also someone who shares an identity as a woman who is proud to be in the climate movement and bring her specific perspective as a woman to the table. their voices and stories resonated with me, while allowing a glimpse into someone else’s lived experiences. 

i believe that stories based on lived experiences matter. they have an enormous impact. the presence of these stories and the people who carry them might not “fix” cop because of how unjust it has been—from the lack of women at cop in positions of power to inequities in who was able to access the covid-19 vaccine and travel to the conference. yet, i believe that it would go a long way in remedying some of the harms that have been done by creating space for those who need to be heard most, and result in action that is more on par with the needs of the moment.

cop27 will happen one year from now in egypt. the world is watching. we are ready for a cop that is just and equitable, that centers on those most impacted, and acts on climate change at the scale of the crisis we are facing. we are watching—and we expect better.

on nov. 12, planet forward wrapped up the series with a conversation between scholars and storytellers: “champions of climate justice: where do we go from here?” the panel focused on the climate justice movement and how to report stories on sustainability that captures a range of diverse voices and perspectives. 

dr. imani cheers, award-winning digital storyteller and associate professor at gw’s school of media and public affairs, led the discussion. joining her in conversation were dr. lemir teron, associate professor at the planet forward pillar school suny-esf; matt scott from project drawdown; and lexi hernandez, planet 世界杯欧洲预选赛免费直播 and senior at pillar school chapman university. the panel shared tips, perspectives, and best practices on how to keep climate justice as a central part of how we adapt to a changing environment. you can watch the complete discussion above, or over on our youtube channel.

you can see the videos from other fall events on our salon page.

in our latest episode of planet forward, seen on pbs’s peril and promise and produced in association with asu’s global futures laboratory, an exclusive interview with regan, who said he will bring science back to the epa and into every decision — and made clear that environmental justice will be at the center of his mission.

environmental racism is a personal issue for tuskegee university student jayden graham-white, as well. she shares with us the issues that have defined the turkey creek community in gulfport, mississippi, where she grew up. the history of the area dates back to freed slaves and is a devastating example of how racism, climate change, and environmental justice collide.

new orleans and hurricane katrina

in august 2005, hurricane katrina slammed into mississippi, louisiana, alabama, florida, and texas and ushered in one of the worst natural disasters of this generation. nearly 2,000 people lost their lives, 800,000 lost their homes, and ultimately cost the gulf coast region $161,000,000 in damage. in 2005, new orleans was over 60% black and of the entire population around 20% lived below the poverty line. because of the high poverty levels in new orleans, the taxes which would have been used for the upkeep of infrastructure in the city were lacking. 

and even though a mandatory evacuation was ordered by then-new orleans mayor ray nagins, a lot of these people did not have vehicles or money to evacuate and more importantly they did not have anywhere to go.

many possessed personal transportation, but the availability of cash for gas to evacuate at the end of the month before payday was a constraint (the hurricane struck on aug. 29). cash on hand for incidentals was also noted as a reason for not evacuating: “the hurricane came at the wrong time. we were waiting for our pay-day,” “no money for gas,” and “money was hard to come by at the time.”

a particularly interest aspect of living in the south is the close-knit nature of families, therefore most of these people lived in the same neighborhoods — and even homes — as their entire families for generations, which can be traced back to sentiments of family established in the enslavement period of african-american history. 

new orleans was hit particularly hard by hurricane katrina, not because they received the brunt force of the storm, but because the levee system failed and ultimately swallowed over half of the city, which already sat below sea level. new orleans natives and those from the surrounding area will tell you the urban legend that the levees were intentionally broken in an effort to save upper echelon areas of the city and in turn sacrifice the almost exclusively black and poverty-stricken areas of the city, such as the 9th ward. the army corp of engineers’-constructed levees were made to handle must stronger winds and higher levels of water than katrina brought to the city, so even if this myth was to be debunked, the federal government is ultimately responsible for lives lost by the levee failures and flooding because there is no reason the levees should have failed on such a large scale.

the post-storm era was chaotic to say the least. it took the federal and state government days to respond to rescue, food, water, and shelter needs of the citizens of new orleans. this catastrophe of a response was and still exists as the defining point of george w. bush’s presidency — even more so than 9/11. 

johannesburg, south africa, mining communities

johannesburg, south africa’s entire economy centers around mining anything from coal, platinum, gold, and diamonds, asbestos, iron ore, chrome, copper, emerald, fluorspar, ilmenite, lead, manganese, nickel, phosphate, silica, tin, vanadium, uranium, zinc, and zircon. often times, when the balancing scale of economic growth and human rights becomes a challenge, economic growth disproportionately wins the battles especially when concerning those who lack the power or resources to fight against such mistreatment. this coupled with the strongly racists history of south africa equates to a very dangerous and seemingly helpless situation for black south africans. 

apartheid directly translates to “apartness.” it was a system of government that established segregation as the law of the land. it mandated that nonwhite south africans which made up a majority of the population would be forced to live and use separate facilities than whites limiting contact between the groups. these policies remained in effect for nearly 50 years. in both theory and practice, it does not differ much from jim crow and “separate but equal” laws in america. the remnants of this era can stills be identified within almost every aspect of life in south africa. bobby peek is a prominent environmentalist in south africa. he spoke on the fact that the apartheid-like pattern of placing dangerous industries such as mining adjacent to black and immigrant communities is still very much at play.

“whether it’s south durban or on the cape, hazardous sites are always near black and colored communities,” peek says. “it’s south africa’s historical blue print.”

although very few formal studies exist on the qualitative health affects that proximity to such industries have on south africans mostly because of the lack of an official health care system in the poorest communities, countless interviews and recollections of the inhumane conditions these people face have been recorded. 

gold mining in particular is a very large, profitable industry in south africa, but a byproduct of this is uranium which is extremely toxic to humans. there’s no need for this uranium so more often than not the miners so it is simply dumped and because properly disposal can be costly, its usually just buried which was poisoned the ground water supply of johannesburg. not only is the air and water affected, the food supply is in danger because the same way breathing in these chemicals is dangerous to humans, it is just was harmful for livestock and crops in these 

although functioning mines have the most severe affect on the day to day lives of citizens, abandoned mines cause just as much stress and strife. more than 600 of these abandoned mines surround johannesburg, south africa. they simply exists as mountains of dust right next to residential areas so that once the wind blows, the dust blows into these communities to be breathed in by the residents causing tuberculosis, asthma, rashes, and skin diseases because it contains trace amounts of copper, lead, cyanide, and arsenic. all of these chemicals are toxic when breathed in over a long period of time and can cause much more permanent damage. communities. 

turkey creek community in gulfport, mississippi

the turkey creek community was founded in 1866 when land previously owned by the arkansas lumber company was settled on by newly freed slaves. among them was joshua (pluck) white who is my great great great great grandfather. they purchased 320 acres of wetlands — bottomland, coastal lowland maritime forests, freshwater marsh, scrub shrub and flood plains — featuring a diverse array of trees and plants and wild and marine life. it was inhabited by flocks of wild turkeys and thus become known as turkey creek.  

in 1906, 12 of the original 320 acres of land was sold to the gulf coast creosote company for the establishment of a creosote plant. creosote is a chemical used in wood creosote, coal tar creosote, coal tar, coal tar pitch, and coal tar pitch volatiles. it is made of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons phenol with creosols which is created by burning wood coals and added to the resin of the creosote bush. this chemical is carcinogenic to humans (meaning that is causes cancer). 

the stipulation to opening this plant was that they would have to hire men from the community to work in the factory which in theory was an amazing opportunity for these men to support their families. in reality, these men worked 6 days a week sometimes 10+ hour days in these plants for $0.25 – $0.40 a week. not only where these men exposed to an obscene amount of this chemical because they weren’t given the proper protective gear nor knowledge about the affects of the chemical they were handling, the proximity to the homes these men lived in was dangerously close. they worked in this plant all day inhaling these cancerous causing chemicals then went home to their families and carried that poison into their home where their children slept all unbeknownst to them. 

i can actually see the site of the plant from my home which is, they breathed it in, they touched it, its soaked into their clothes which they wore home and hugged their children in. the plant sat right on the creek which many people in the community fished in to feed their family’s was walking distance from the residential neighborhood most of these men lived and where i grew up. the area where the plant was is visibly destroyed. acknowledging the central theme of a lack of awareness, many people who live in the city of gulfport, mississippi, are unaware of the historical significance of the turkey creek community or the way these people were brutalized in the name of economic development. 

flint water crisis in flint, michigan

in 2011, in the midst of the great recession, flint, michigan, was the second poorest city in america, with more than 40% of its citizens living below the federal poverty line. after the collapse of car industry, thousands of people lost their jobs and could no longer contribute to the cities economy thus causing an unrelenting spell of stagnance. because of the disastrous economic state of the city, an emergency city manager was appointed by the governor to try to effectively cut cost and revive the city from turmoil. for five decades prior, the city’s water came from detroit, but in an attempt to save money, in 2014 the decision was made to change th city’s main water supply from lake huron to the flint river. 

it is most important to note that for more than a century, the flint river was used as a dump site for industries including car factories, meatpacking plants, lumber and paper mills, raw sewage from the city, agricultural run off, and landfills. the river is even rumored to have caught on fire — yes, a river. this was not a secret because the city actively contributed to the pollution of the river, but because this was an understood fact it would be assumed the city would take the proper steps to clean this water before sending it through the pipes and into the homes of millions of people, but that was not the case. 

because the water was so corrosive, it caused lead to leach from the old pipes in the city which created an entirely new issue; not only was the water contaminated, it now reeked of lead which is extremely dangerous for children and pregnant women. this situation began in 2011 and flint, michigan, has not had clean, reliable drinking water in over 2,000 days. 

it’s important to understand that the city of flint is 57% black, 37% white, with 6% other races and that is the only reason such atrocities were allowed to occur. as a report from the michigan civil rights commission, released in 2017, and according to the associated press, said: “would the flint water crisis have been allowed to happen in birmingham, ann arbor, or east grand rapids? we believe the answer is no, and that the vestiges of segregation and discrimination found in flint made it a unique target. the lack of political clout left the residents with nowhere to turn, no way to have their voices heard.”

—

sources:

karoub, jeff. “commission: ‘systemic racism’ at root of flint water crisis.” ap news. associated press, february 17, 2017. https://apnews.com/article/df42de2ec4424193866467a2981ccb51. 

knight, dannielle. “environment-south africa: environmental racism, a lingering legacy of apartheid,” april 3, 2001. http://www.ipsnews.net/2001/04/environment-south-africa-environmental-racism-a-lingering-legacy-of-apartheid/. 

bobbins, guy trangos & kerry. “gold mining exploits and the legacies of johannesburg’s mining landscapes.” scenario journal, june 22, 2017. https://scenariojournal.com/article/gold-mining-exploits/. 

elder, keith et al. “african americans’ decisions not to evacuate new orleans before hurricane katrina: a qualitative study.” american journal of public health vol. 97 suppl 1,suppl 1 (2007): s124-9. doi:10.2105/ajph.2006.100867

phoenix – when the sun is up, he’s up and ready to hit the road by 8. flatbed trucks are loaded with brimming barrels of water, and the teams take off – up and down the burnt orange washboard roads that crisscross the navajo nation reservation.

zoel zohnnie grew up on a ranch in these vast lands, knowing what it’s like to live without running water, knowing what it means to drive for miles to fill up at a community water station and then haul it back home.

“for some families, it’s a whole day of leaving home, waiting in line, coming back, unloading,” he said. “just to drink water and have water for living.”

when the covid-19 pandemic arrived on the reservation, zohnnie saw families and elders sheltering in place – and no one helping them to haul water they desperately needed.

“so i took up a paypal and purchased a water tank, put it in the back of my truck and hit the road, and ended up doing that day after day,” said zohnnie, who calls his group water warriors united.

water is a precious commodity that’s scarce in many places across the u.s. but even more so in rural native american communities like the navajo nation, where a virus that requires hand-washing and proper hygiene has taken an especially heavy toll.

zohnnie, 42, is a boilermaker by trade, doing pipe welding, power plant maintenance and refinery construction. but he was laid off at the end of march, just as covid-19 cases began increasing across the sprawling reservation.

he has underlying health conditions that put him at higher risk of contracting covid-19 and suffering more. but as the virus that causes the disease took hold of dinétah, he knew he had to find a way to help, even while practicing social distancing and staying safe.

his is the story of how one person saw a problem that needed a solution and started a movement to try to find one – as a friend said, “changing the world one barrel at a time.”

a scarce resource

a november report released by the nonprofit us water alliance found that more than 2 million americans lack access to running water, indoor plumbing or wastewater services.

those disparities are worse in communities of color and even more extreme, the study found, among indigenous people – whose households are 19 times more likely to lack indoor plumbing than those of white families.

on the navajo reservation, which stretches 27,000 square miles through arizona and into new mexico and utah, an estimated 30% of the 174,000 residents lack access to running water. many, the us water alliance report said, have less than 10 gallons of water in their homes at any given time, sometimes using as little as 2 or 3 gallons a day. the average american uses 88 gallons a day.

some residents drive hours to get water to haul home, ration what water they do have between hygienic uses and cooking, or stockpile it in case of emergency.

one woman, the report noted, has bartered homemade pies for water.

these obstacles often force residents to travel to towns bordering the reservation to buy water, said monica harvey, a navajo who founded defend our community, a group working to assist elders during the pandemic.

harvey, who lives in leupp, points to other problems, such as broken windmills that hinder water pumping and limited hours at tribal chapter houses, the government subdivisions and communal gathering places where navajos often get their water.

“there was one point … where the chapter house in leupp was announcing that they were going to shut down a water station,” harvey said. “the water from that water station is for livestock only. but sometimes, residents have to resort to that water to drink.”

a report by the navajo nation’s department of water resources notes that a lack of reliable drinking water “stifles economic growth throughout the reservation” while contributing to higher incidence of disease.

add an extremely contagious virus into this mix and the circumstances become even more dire, experts note.

“you can imagine if you don’t have access to running water, then the very basic things you need to do to stay home and stay safe during a viral pandemic aren’t possible,” said george mcgraw, founder of digdeep, a nonprofit that works on the reservation to bring running water into homes and schools.

“you can’t wash your hands for 20 seconds several times a day with soap and water. you’re constantly being forced to leave social isolation … to drive to a grocery store that’ll have bottled water … or to drive to a gas station, a truck stop, a school, a library – if they’re open – to take a shower or collect water.”

cynthia harris, director of tribal programs at the environmental law institute in washington d.c., said the long-standing issues around access to water and water quality in indian country can be boiled down to three main obstacles: resources, logistics and battles over water rights.

funding for infrastructure improvements is limited. the indian health service reported last year a backlog of almost 2,000 sanitation-related construction projects in indian country and estimated it would cost $2.7 billion to provide all american indians and alaska natives with safe drinking water and adequate sewerage systems.

the rural nature of homes also makes for logistical challenges. on the navajo reservation, which is bigger than the state of west virginia, many households are not good candidates for centralized water systems because extending water lines to low-density, mountainous areas is extremely expensive, according to harris’ group.

“we’ve heard quite a bit from congress and the executive branch about looking at infrastructure, ensuring that tribes are included in that at a sufficient level,” harris said, noting some opportunities to address these issues may be part of the $2.2 trillion coronoavirus relief package known as the cares act.

“there is a toolbox,” she said. “the question is, which tools bring to bear ensuring tribes are included.”

the navajo nation has received $714 million under the cares act, and president jonathan nez has proposed using $300 million of that for agriculture projects and water infrastructure, including improved residential plumbing.

final expenditures are being negotiated between the navajo nation council and nez. but time is running out: the federal government is requiring that cares act funding be spent by year’s end.

a hand for the forgotten

“we will never be able to measure the magnitude of language, culture, or history that this virus has taken from our tribes. … we have already lost so much, but are also collectively doing so much.”

zoel zohnnie’s words punctuate the website of collective medicine, the nonprofit that serves as the umbrella organization for his water warriors united campaign. the effort has grown from one man and one water tank to an operation where volunteers deliver on average 5,000 gallons a week to residents across the reservation.

“the idea behind this whole campaign … was to reach the people who can’t get to the water themselves, and to reach the people who are … far away enough to have been forgotten,” zohnnie said.

“and there’s been a lot of people that have been forgotten.”

the more he ventured out, the more donations started flowing in. he used the money to buy 55-gallon water barrels for navajos living out of 5-gallon buckets or small containers.

zohnnie now has four 16-foot flatbed trucks that carry 550-gallon tanks, hoses, equipment and a water pump. his team has delivered more than 400 barrels and more than 100,000 gallons of water to more than 20 communities.

“now what we’re trying to do is figure out a refill system for the places we’ve already been, so that we can just go back to these homes and kind of recirculate where we’ve already been,” he said. “but if we do that, then it takes away from us being able to reach other areas that haven’t been given barrels yet.

“so we’re trying to get as many barrels out there as possible, first, so that way at least the residents and our elders and tribal members can have a barrel. that makes their life a little easier when they have to haul water for themselves.”

along the way, zohnnie has met dozens of people, many whose circumstances brought tears to his eyes. one family of 18 was living in a small shack with no running water. another home included several children living alone without water or electricity.

“the dad had passed away probably four months ago, and the mom had passed away two months before that,” he recalled. “so the kids were just trying to make their way, and there was nobody that was really helping them.

“that was one that kind of stuck with me.”

another man was caring for his 90-year-old mother, who requires a feeding tube. they lived off a 20-mile dirt road and were unable to haul water on their own because the man couldn’t leave his mother for the time it would take to go out and return.

“it’s been quite an eye-opener,” zohnnie said. “growing up on the reservation, you kind of know what’s going on. but until you’re there visiting each home, talking to each person, it never really hits you until you hear them or you look at them in the eye and see how they feel.”

harvey’s group, defend our community, began collaborating with zohnnie to get water to the elders it works with.

“it was very difficult for elders throughout the community to get drinking water, so his team came out and was able to provide 55-gallon water barrels with drinking water,” she said. “they had a water tank in the back of their vehicle as well. so elders who needed water jugs or containers filled, they were able to help fill those containers with drinking water.

“a lot of them were so grateful … that a few of the elders broke into tears because they received help. finally someone showed up to help them, to provide aid to them.”

zohnnie’s effort is just one of several, and harris and others note that any permanent solutions to the water access issues must go beyond trucking in gallons here and there. the pandemic, harris said, is “an opportunity to stop, to pause, to reflect and consider these issues and look at how we can do better.”

zohnnie hopes to continue his initiative beyond covid-19, to keep helping his people in whatever way he can. he wants the world to see that not all that’s come from the pandemic is sorrow and tragedy.

“i feel like because of this virus, there are beautiful things happening,” he said. “and i think one of them is the fact that it has brought a lot of people together.

“there’s a lot of people still out there suffering from it, still out there protecting themselves from it, too.”

but, he added: “even though it’s a dangerous and ugly virus, it has done beautiful things to help people see that we can come together in times of crisis.”

—

this story originally was published on cronkite news and features additional reporting. for more stories, visit cronkitenews.azpbs.org.

open public spaces increase the quality of life for all people living in an area and are essential to the development of healthy cities that meet the needs of their people. my project is about the importance of public space to healthy community development, social resilience, and happier people.

different forms of public space play different roles in each of these, roles like education, accessibility, physical and mental health, activism, and exposure to nature. in his book “just sustainabilities,” julian agyeman asserts that these spaces are where we encounter other people and cultures, people watch, protest, and engage in acts of revolution (agyeman, 2013).

i want to showcase different ways people use public spaces, how that determines the needs of the people living in those communities, and how they contribute to a better quality of life. i believe that this is important in resistance against gentrification in many communities. developers and real estate companies claim new development projects will draw people into certain neighborhoods and stimulate their economies, but it may not really be what that community needs. 

public parks are undoubtedly valuable to all communities. they encourage physical activity and engagement with elements of nature. they provide spaces for people to exercise, socialize, and just have fun. a neighborhood park may be the closest thing to exposure to nature for people in some communities. it can provide interaction with nature that is not possible in cities. until coming to syracuse for college, the small wooded areas of prospect park and the beach were the closest i had ever gotten to nature.

plazas and squares, throughout history, have been important gathering places for community action and protest. they provide a known location with a large amount of space that helps get people involved, engaged, and centralized.

public libraries give people the resources to educate themselves, read for pleasure, and gain access to valuable community programs and events. more indirectly, they provide a heat-controlled, safe indoors for anyone regardless of their demographic. i spent entire summers at my local library trying to escape the summer city heat, where i cultivated a love for reading and made lasting friendships that were particularly valuable for me as an only child.

both of these spaces, as well as plazas, public museums, and public beaches, can provide invaluable access to nature, physical exercise, essential resources, and connections, places to inspire and host protest and art, all regardless of class, race, and gender. they also offer people exposure to other cultures and their values. some problems have been observed with certain public spaces increasing gentrification, and a solution for that demands thorough community outreach when designing and building a public space. additionally, how people use their current public spaces can dictate what people want from public spaces.

an example of this is in dyker beach park. people used to convene there to play bocce, a culturally significant italian game. a few years later, bocce courts were built in the park, and even as the population shifts in demographics, people can be seen every weekend on the courts. every class of people uses these spaces. also, people who may not have much space in their homes can have another place to feel at home, as well as feel like part of a community.

—

references:

agyeman, j. (2013). introducing just sustainabilities: policy, planning, and practice. london, uk: zed books.

hosted by frank sesno, healthy you: surviving a pandemic is a co-production of the george washington university milken institute school of public health and the school of media and public affairs.

the citizens of highland park knew they could not rely on their utility for support; the solution would have to come from within the community. the idea to install the first solar-powered street light can be credited to three community members working together in a church basement. this street light, financed by a crowdfunding campaign, was installed at 150 victor street. with just one street light, an idea was born. highland park community activists had caught sight of a larger vision, one of citywide, community-owned solar lighting.

in 2012, the organization soulardarity was formed, and over the next several years, the movement grew from a single initiative into an organization with the mission of lighting the city through a clean energy system developed and owned by the community. jackson koeppel, soulardarity’s executive director, admits the process was far from easy. 

“there are systemic and structural barriers to the problem we wanted to solve. corporate divestment, structural racism, and the monopoly investor-owned utility system kept blocking the solar street light solution in one form or another,” koeppel said.

as it turns out, the technology itself was the simple part. solar-powered street lights collect and store power in a battery during the day to be used at night. the installation cost of the solar lights ranges from $5,500 to $6,500, depending on the model. with maintenance expenses following installation, each light costs roughly $100 per year. traditional street lights actually cost more in both installation and long-term use because they require a connection to the grid system. instead of monthly electric bills, the largest cost of solar street lights is replacing the batteries. additionally, the electric bills for traditional street lights don’t consider the harmful environmental and health effects due to their primary power sources of coal, natural gas, and nuclear energy. 

while traditional street lights rely on energy from the electrical grid, solar street lights operate independently with batteries, so even when highland park is without power, the street lights will be shining. these lights are even able to power through michigan’s dark winters. the upper midwest is often considered inefficient when it comes to maximizing solar energy production, but these batteries are designed to store energy to supply power for five days without sunlight. michigan actually has a higher average amount of annual sunlight than germany, which has been leading the world’s solar market for years. 

while street lights are often thought of as a municipal service, it became clear this would not be the case in highland park. as long as they are acting within the city’s code and ordinances, businesses, schools, churches, and other organizations can own and manage their own street lighting. in highland park, there is a democratic membership process that allows the community to share ownership of the street lights installed by soulardarity. there are ample ways for members to engage in the program. they can join steering committees, attend quarterly meetings, or vote in elections for soulardarity’s board — which must have a majority of highland park residents.

“it takes a little more time and capacity to do things that way, but it’s important to the organization that we build leadership and create a culture of collective work and ownership of decisions — because that’s what we want the energy system to look like when we’re done,” koeppel said.

soulardarity believes energy democracy is necessary because the people most impacted by energy decisions should have the greatest voice in shaping them. the current energy system impacts the planet, health, and economy, but those who are most negatively impacted do not have the means to influence this system. energy democracy gives those communities — often lower income and/or of color — a voice in what their energy system will look like. 

environmental justice is at the forefront of soulardarity’s mission. they have a strong partnership with the michigan environmental justice coalition and advocate for structural change. they empower and enable frontline communities to own and benefit from clean energy systems.

rep. rashida tlaib, d-mich., has praised soulardarity’s years of hard work in her district. 

in a video for soulardarity’s grassroots gala, tlaib said, “nowhere more than michigan’s 13th congressional district knows what doing nothing at the government level looks like. we are among the most polluted, our children suffer the highest rates of asthma, and we face issues with corporate polluters, water quality, and utilities taking advantage of our residents every single day… soulardarity has worked to build a brighter, more sustainable future for us all through education, organizing, the expansion of solar-powered energy system rooted in energy democracy, and so much more.”

the efforts do not stop here. soulardarity continues to work on building a more just and sustainable community. they’ve supported the equitable internet initiative to come into highland park, and hope it will be a prelude to citywide wi-fi through the solar lights. they are also close to launching a cooperative energy enterprise. they continue to engage in numerous educational initiatives and support other neighborhoods with their own solar lighting. 

these issues do not just exist in michigan, and soulardarity is determined to use their success as a model for others. this past fall, they released a blueprint for energy democracy, and hope other communities can use it to initiate similar projects. 

“our goal is to make highland park a global model of sustainability and self-determination. we want to see an energy future that is safe, affordable, and democratic,” koeppel said.

in 2011, the local utility failed the citizens of highland park and left them in the dark. this is an example of one of the many effects of racial and economic injustice that has plagued the city for decades. the community-wide mobilization that followed is one of hope and inspiration. in a five-year report on soulardarity’s impacts, koeppel reflected on the work that has been completed and the hope he has for the future.

“the arc of history only bends toward justice because we take it upon ourselves to bend it,” he said. “working together, we have made real impacts in people’s lives and built an organization which i believe will not only bring light back to highland park’s streets, but power to its people — in every sense.”