Energy is the engine that drives every aspect of our human economy. It powers our industries, our homes, our vehicles, our lives. Can you imagine a healthy economy without electricity, heating and cooling, or transportation?
The Fossil Fuel Reality
The vast majority of the energy we use comes from fossil fuels – coal, natural gas, and oil. Common sense and science tell us that has to change. From the looming spectre of worldwide oil depletion to the increasing urgency of global warming, all signs point to an energy future drastically different from the status quo.
Our business at Fresh Energy is not just to imagine transforming the energy system, it’s to push government and industry to rise to the reality.
Energy we can all live with
Fresh Energy works daily for a future where energy production stimulates local economies, efficiently harnessing clean, homegrown electricity sources like wind and solar power. One where pollution is a thing of the past, where the energy we need doesn’t harm the people we love. And one that reflects Midwesterners’ love and respect for our lakes, prairies, and forests – for our sake and beyond.
We work in the realm of public policy, changing the rules that govern our energy system. Our efforts focus on energy efficiency, clean energy, transportation and land use, and carbon reduction. We’re successful because we’ve got the necessary expertise, strong alliances, and the support of thoughtful, engaged people like you.
Our core values
We do this work because it needs to be done and because it’s the right thing to do. It arises naturally from our core values – those convictions and beliefs that every member of our staff and board of directors hold to be essential.
- INTEGRITY // Our work is grounded in our morals and ethics, as well as in each staff member’s desire for an integrated life – what we do is who we are. We do the right thing even when it may not be politically popular, and we trust each other to do the same. We honor our agreements, we are honest in our communications, and we strive to make certain our actions match our words.
- FAIRNESS // It’s an essential attribute of open-minded, independent evaluation, and it’s a cornerstone of the relationship between Fresh Energy and our members, allies, opponents, and financial supporters. A passion for fairness fuels our work, and our decisions and opinions reflect a commitment to justice and truth.
- EXCELLENCE // The importance of our mission demands that we produce work of the highest quality. To ensure this, we draw upon the expertise, backgrounds, knowledge, points of view, and talents of the Fresh Energy staff, members, board, and collaborating organizations to develop shared solutions. In particular, each staff member takes personal pride and responsibility for the work we do. And no matter how good our work, we are dedicated to making it better.
- RESPECT FOR ALL PEOPLE // We respect and embrace the diversity that comes from racial, ethnic, gender, and social differences. Our work is informed by the belief that all people are important and valuable and deserve to be treated with dignity and fairness. We actively work against individual and institutional prejudice and discrimination. We listen to and learn from everyone within our diverse base of members, allies, financial supporters, colleagues, even opponents.
- ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP // A keen sense of responsibility to care for the earth and create a healthy environment underlies all of our work.
- COURAGEOUS PASSION FOR PROGRESS // Change is inevitable. Positive change is not. In our work, we often promote good ideas in unreceptive environments, against sometimes overwhelming odds. Bravery, dedication, and tenacious spirit help us persevere and maintain a sense of humor while reaching for our goals.
a little history
Our organization was founded in 1990 under the name Minnesotans for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ME3). The organization was formed to launch Minnesota into the global arena as a leader on clean energy issues. ME3 began as an alliance of organizations working on energy conservation, economic development, environmental protection, neighborhood issues, and civic engagement, and later became an independent organization in its own right.
For more than 20 years we have transformed widely-held environmental and economic ideals into smart government policy. Along the way we’ve grown rapidly, with new expertise in development, communications, and media relations. In 2006 we changed our name to Fresh Energy to better reflect the broader scope of our organization.