Solar Power to the People

10 snips

Feb 14, 2025

Guest

Skyler Zunk

Elizabeth Yeampierre, Executive Director of UPROSE, champions community-led climate solutions in Brooklyn. Arturo Massol-Deyá from Casa Pueblo de Adjuntas shares how Puerto Rico is achieving energy independence with solar microgrids post-hurricane. Skyler Zunk, CEO of Energy Right, discusses clean energy education in rural Virginia, emphasizing the blend of agriculture and solar tech. Together, they highlight the role of solar power in reinforcing community resilience, energy autonomy, and environmental justice.

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ANECDOTE

UPROSE's Shift to Environmental Justice

UPROSE, an environmental justice organization in Brooklyn, shifted from social services to environmental activism.
This change was driven by community concerns about pollution from the Gowanus Expressway.

INSIGHT

Community-Led Work in Sunset Park

UPROSE's work is community-led and intergenerational, focusing on the needs of Sunset Park residents.
Sunset Park is a diverse, working-class community facing gentrification pressures.

ANECDOTE

Sunset Park Solar Project

Sunset Park Solar is a community-led project installing solar panels on the Brooklyn Army Terminal.
It aims to reduce emissions, lower energy costs, and create local jobs.

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At this moment, the cheapest way to create electricity is by pointing a solar panel at the sun. That’s good news for the climate. It’s also good news for communities who want to take control of their own electricity generation.

In the heart of Brooklyn, UPROSE is helping to build a solar project that will be owned by the community, provide jobs, and help residents bring down their energy costs. In Puerto Rico, where hurricanes have devastated the power grid, community members are building solar microgrids to provide reliable electricity as the utility has proven they cannot. Meanwhile in conservative rural Virginia, Energy Right is helping farmers and rural communities adopt solar projects, touting a free market message about energy independence and security.

Guests:

Elizabeth Yeampierre, Attorney; Executive Director, UPROSE

Skyler Zunk, CEO and Founder, Energy Right

Arturo Massol-Deyá, Executive Director, Casa Pueblo de Adjuntas

We’re excited to share two upcoming opportunities to see Climate One Live! On February 25, internationally recognized environmental and civil rights activist Catherine Coleman Flowers will join Climate One for a live conversation about the future of environmental justice. And on March 24, Google’s Chief Sustainability Officer Kate Brandt and Irina Raicu, Director of the Internet Ethics Program at the Markkula Center, will speak with Climate One about the development of sustainably powered artificial intelligence. Tickets to both shows are on sale through our website.

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