Puerto Rico, a Caribbean island archipelago home to 3.264 million Americans, benefits from abundant sunlight, which makes solar energy one of the most affordable forms of energy on the island. With over 2,800 new solar projects installed every month, it’s clear that Puerto Rican families and neighbors are ready for a transition to clean energy. However, the island is still powered primarily by fossil fuels with a failing centralized grid. Energy justice cannot be achieved until communities who face these burdens of inaction have a voice in restructuring their energy. Non-profit organizations like Energy Allies, the Energy Democracy Project, and Solar United Neighbors are designing community-centered clean energy solutions like decentralized solar grids to reduce reliance on the extractive energy system, and strive towards energy independence and justice.
Join us at our upcoming event on November 15, 2023, from 12:00 to 1:00 PM EST to learn how we can work together to revolutionize Puerto Rico’s energy system. We will hear from Latine leaders and organizers who work tirelessly to create more resilient, thriving, and energy-independent homes on the island. This event will be an opportunity to engage with experts and community members who are passionate about driving energy democracy. Attend this event to discover how you can support efforts to break down Puerto Rico’s fossil-fueled grid and join us in the pursuit of an equitable clean energy transition.
Puerto Rico, un archipiélago caribeño que alberga a 3,264 millones de estadounidenses, se beneficia de una abundante luz solar, lo que convierte a la energía solar en una de las formas de energía más asequibles en la isla. Con más de 2,800 proyectos solares nuevos instalados cada mes, queda claro que las familias y vecinos puertorriqueños están listos para hacer la transición hacia una energía limpia. Sin embargo, la isla todavía se abastece principalmente de combustibles fósiles con una red centralizada en deterioro. La justicia energética no se puede lograr hasta que las comunidades que enfrentan estas cargas de inacción tengan voz en la reestructuración de su energía. Organizaciones sin fines de lucro como Energy Allies, Energy Democracy Project, y Solar United Neighbors están diseñando soluciones de energía limpia centradas en la comunidad, como redes solares descentralizadas, para reducir la dependencia del sistema energético extractivo y avanzar hacia la independencia y la justicia energética.
Únete a nosotros en nuestro próximo evento en Noviembre 15, 2023, 12:00 to 1:00 PM EST para aprender cómo podemos trabajar juntos para revolucionar el sistema energético de Puerto Rico. Escucharemos a líderes y organizadores latine que trabajan incansablemente para crear hogares más resilientes, prósperos e independientes en cuanto a energía en la isla. Este evento será una oportunidad para interactuar con expertos y miembros de la comunidad que están apasionados por impulsar la democracia energética. Asiste a este evento para descubrir cómo puedes apoyar los esfuerzos para desmantelar la red de combustibles fósiles de Puerto Rico y únete a nosotros en la búsqueda de una transición equitativa hacia la energía limpia.
David has more than 20 years’ experience in the social and environmental justice space. David has worked to organize and mobilize communities, coordinate educational activities, and promote public policy. David also leads Solar United Neighbor’s programming in Puerto Rico as the Puerto Rico Program Director. David Ortiz also co-founded of El Puente Puerto Rico, a community-based organization that champions this work on the island.
David holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from Cambridge College. He holds a Master of Public Policy from Tufts University. With Solar United Neighbors, David ties his passion for environmental stewardship with promoting transition and advocating for the rights to access renewable energy.
Selena Feliciano is the National Campaign Coordinator with the Energy Democracy Project, spearheading the Reimagined Energy for our Communities U.S. (REFOCUS) campaign. In collaboration with energy justice organizers and advocates across the country, she works to build the movement for a reimagined–decentralized, democratized, and decolonized–energy system that prioritizes people over profit.
Over the last decade, she’s built experience supporting organizations through the lens of environmental justice, most recently in her outreach and strategy work with SF Consulting Co. She has held board positions for the California Alliance for Community Energy and People Power Solar Cooperative. A climate activist at heart, Selena weaves artistry and bicycle-powered movement as an extension of her work: she is also a contributing performer with AgileRascal Bicycle Touring Theatre Company, a musician sharing ecology-inspired lyricism around the Bay Area, and a founding member of the Borikén Bicycle Tour, an ancestral journey of Puerto Rico on two wheels.
Yesenia Rivera is a community organizer with years of experience working alongside climate-impacted communities with a passion for energy justice.
Yesenia has a B.S. in Biology from the University of Puerto Rico in Cayey and a J.D. from the University of the District of Columbia- David A. Clarke School of Law. During her time in law school. As a tenant organizer at the Latino Economic Development Center, she worked with tenants across Washington DC and helped them assert their rights under DC law. Her experience growing up in Puerto Rico and first-hand knowledge of energy insecurities led her to work in solar adoption and eliminate barriers faced when accessing clean and affordable energy.
Over the past four years, she has become a subject matter expert in Energy Democracy and Energy Equity issues, including co-chairing the Energy Democracy Project’s People’s Utility Justice Playbook. She’s also an outspoken advocate for a just transition and eliminating barriers to clean energy
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🏝️ Join us on Nov 15, 2023, 12:00 PM EST! We’re excited to discuss the future of clean energy in Puerto Rico. Let’s work together to create a brighter, more sustainable future for the island. RSVP today at energy-allies.org/events/latine-leaders. #LatineLeaders #EnergyJustice