Energy Democracy
In pursuit of Energy Justice, Pueblo Studio partnered with Emerald Cities Collaborative (ECC) to co-develop a suite of popular education materials and facilitation guides that are now being used by communities across the country to advance energy democracy. Together, Pueblo Studio and ECC produced an accessible, inclusive, and trauma-informed curriculum designed to equip community members, regardless of prior knowledge, to meaningfully participate in and influence their local energy systems.
ECC’s Energy Democracy work introduces both communities and policymakers to a transformative framework for shifting from an extractive, burdensome energy system to one that is renewable, community-controlled, and equitable. The jointly developed curriculum helps normalize conversations about energy while breaking down complex components of energy democracy into approachable, community-centered learning modules.
The materials are now supporting advocacy organizations and community-based organizations nationwide in facilitating discussions on issues such as racism and inequity in the energy system; access to energy and its health and land-use impacts; the types and sources of energy we use; pollution and energy policy goals; fair labor, wages, and economic ownership; workforce development and just transition pathways for workers historically employed in extractive industries; as well as democratic decision-making, governance, and community control over energy systems.
By grounding learning in lived experience and collective problem-solving, this curriculum aims to spark a broader journey toward repair of historical harms, regeneration after extractive practices, and reinvestment through community-driven energy solutions. Through these nationally utilized materials, Pueblo Studio’s work is helping expand the movement for energy democracy and strengthen community leadership in shaping a just energy future.
