In celebration of Women’s History Month, the critical clean energy work of Fresh Energy’s Isabel Ricker, Janiece Watts, Margaret Cherne-Hendrick, and Anna Johnson were highlighted in the Minnesota Women’s Pres weekly “Ecolution” series.
Read their stories!
The Good News About Coal
by Isabel Ricker, Senior Policy Associate, Clean Electricity at Fresh Energy
Coal is known to be one of the most polluting ways to generate electricity — harmful for climate and health. Closing coal plants has been a priority for public health and environmental advocates. Over the past decade, the share of U.S. power from coal has been cut in half due to savvy legal work and broader market dynamics, like the fracked gas boom and super-cheap renewable power. View the full article here.
How I Build Equity Into Energy
by Janiece Watts, Senior Policy Associate, Energy Access and Equity at Fresh Energy
I loved being in nature as a kid. I liked spending time outside, but I knew I was not going to make it in a heavy scientific field, like research or forestry, partly because I did not see Black women lifted in those areas. That feeling led me to equity and environmental justice, where questions are asked about why there is so little diversity — Black, Indigenous, people of color, women, LGBTQ+, and different class backgrounds — in environmental industries, nonprofits, and government. View the full article here.
The Energy Future I See
by Margaret Cherne-Hendrick, Lead Director, Energy Transition at Fresh Energy
Minnesota has made great progress in reducing our greenhouse gas emissions from the power sector, but we have fallen behind in making similar progress in other critical sectors, like transportation and buildings. There is now movement toward decarbonization of transportation systems through electrification, but across the nation carbon pollution from buildings now accounts for a staggering 40 percent of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. View the full article here.
Action Steps for Clean Energy
by Anna Johnson, Senior Associate, Public Affairs at Fresh Energy
Here is the situation: Climate scientists have warned us that in order to avoid the worst impacts of climate change we must transition our entire economy to be carbon-free by mid-century. The next nine years are critical for getting us on the right path. View the full article here.