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Powering Energy Justice: Building a Diverse, Equitable, and Inclusive Offshore Wind Industry in Rhode Island
Roots2Empower was recently awarded a grant from SouthCoast Community Foundation for their project "Powering Energy Justice: Building a Diverse, Equitable, and Inclusive Offshore Wind Industry.” A social justice 501c(3) nonprofit based in Rhode Island’s tri-cities Pawtucket, Providence, and Central Falls, Roots2Empower’s mission is to enable civic engagement and break the cycle of poverty, incarceration, and recidivism for low-income and marginalized communities. This grant will support Roots2Empower’s work educating and engaging community members on the clean energy transition, the essential role of offshore wind energy, and how they can get involved, provide input, and access family-sustaining careers. Their first community meeting for Pawtucket residents will be from 2-4 pm at the Pawtucket Public Library in the Campbell Auditorium on February 24th.
Offshore Wind Energy: A Path to Equitable Development
As offshore wind becomes an increasingly prevalent component of Rhode Island’s economy, understanding the distributional impacts of these projects’ benefits and burdens is paramount. In particular, traditional environmentalist messaging boasts of how the development of renewable energy projects creates thousands of jobs and stimulates economic growth. Yet, these promises of prosperity have different implications for Black, brown, indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC), low-income, formerly incarcerated, and disadvantaged communities. With billions of dollars being funneled into upcoming offshore wind projects in Rhode Island, considerations of equity must account for marginalized communities that will be impacted by offshore wind infrastructure.