How Community Leaders and Innovators Are Making Climate Equity Possible

Solarpunk: a movement that envisions a future where humanity lives in harmony with nature, using sustainable technology and renewable energy to create an equitable, regenerative world.
Imagine a future where communities, schools, municipalities and studios can generate and sell their own clean energy, and creatives can partake in this new value creation. That’s the vision of Christina Chu, cofounder of Solarpunks, a group of innovators setting out to eliminate fossil fuels across music, film, art and fashion events. They teamed up with DER Taskforce to power Brooklyn’s first-ever fully solar-powered concert featuring performances by Nation of Language and Model/Actriz. Through this project, they wanted to show the viability of running a full concert production on the sun’s power while supporting a community microgrid benefiting low- and moderate-income residents.
Now, envision a world where Native and rural neighborhoods can access clean energy sources and make their own decisions about resource allocation and implementation. This is the goal of Indigenized Energy, a Native-led nonprofit helping tribes pursue energy sovereignty based on their unique conditions.
Thanks to community leaders across the United States, climate equity—ensuring that all people, especially marginalized communities, are treated fairly when addressing climate change and its impacts—is within reach, and businesses have an opportunity and duty to contribute. Government policies and tax credits are vital for making solar more accessible for low-income households. Still, as Gibran Washington, program manager for the nonprofit organization Ecoworks, says, tax credits don’t apply to everyone. According to a study by Nature Energy and led by researchers at Stanford University, disadvantaged communities generate nearly 40% less solar electricity than wealthier areas.
Doing Renewable Energy Right
Industries inside and outside renewables have a chance to do the energy transition right—fairly and equitably. Missing the mark means replicating the same systemic mistakes made since capitalism’s inception. Collectively shifting to clean energy across all communities would minimize adverse impacts on vulnerable populations, create access to a broader talent pool, support a more stable regulatory environment and ultimately enhance long-term sustainability for businesses.
In addition to mandating equal access to clean energy sources, an equitable energy transition calls for putting the perspectives of people living on the frontlines of the climate fight at the center of decision-making processes. Several community leaders highlighted in the “Make It Real” photojournalism series created by the social justice nonprofit Dream.org are pushing this mission forward.
The Rolling Stone Culture Council is an invitation-only community for Influencers, Innovators and Creatives. Do I qualify?
After seeing deceptive practices in the solar industry, Luis Galarza co-founded SoFlo Solar Advisors to bring ethical, reliable solar energy solutions to South Florida’s most at-risk populations. In Detroit, after realizing that energy assistance programs created by the utility company she worked for were keeping people “dependent on a system that was not truly helping them,” Briana Dubose started leading climate and equity programs at Ecoworks to help make renewable energy solutions a part of people’s everyday lives.
Meanwhile, in Wisconsin, the health and human services nonprofit Westcare adopted solar power through a partnership with the climate justice group Re-volv and installed a 13kW solar system that will save Westcare more than $44,000 off the electricity bills. In rural Pennsylvania, Solomon’s United Church of Christ is putting savings it’s accumulated through going solar into community programs, including one that provides meals for children of food-insecure families. Through a partnership with Re-volv, the church has a new solar system of 30 panels designed to produce 100% of the building’s electricity. These two cases illustrate when tax credits are applicable. According to Re-volv, the organization saw a 138% increase in solar leads from 2022 to 2023. They suspect that Direct Pay, the federal solar tax credit made possible through the Inflation Reduction Act, was a key factor driving the leap.
What Businesses Can Do
So, how can businesses get in on the action and contribute to an equitable energy transition? For starters, if they have any unused capacity in their buildings, such as their rooftops, to produce solar for their benefit, they can also use it to supply energy for the surrounding communities. They can partner with organizations like Re-volv to contribute to locally owned clean energy generation for neighborhoods. If companies offer workforce development programs, they can create job placement initiatives to help underrepresented groups enter clean energy industries.
When expanding to different locations, businesses can fund projects that improve climate resilience, such as energy-efficient housing, EV charging stations or cooling centers for extreme heat events. They can also prioritize local procurement for materials and labor when undertaking renewable energy projects.
Taking a cue from Solarpunks, companies can test and advocate for more innovations in mobile battery technologies. According to the Solarpunks team, this would have a critical effect on increasing the viability of more community-owned clean energy generation, which can keep jobs and funds circulating locally rather than going to oil and gas stakeholders.
There’s no shortage of ideas, creativity or leadership along the road to climate equity. When business intersects with the needs and hopes of local communities in the name of building a more just and resilient world, creating value becomes the default and energy sovereignty for all can become the norm.