How Community Organizations Are Advancing Renewable Energy: Lessons from Detroit

Community development organizations play a vital role in advancing renewable energy projects that promote environmental sustainability, reduce energy costs, create economic opportunity, and strengthen local communities. In this episode, host, attorney, and University of Michigan law professor Dana Thompson speaks with Dr. Tony Reames, Professor at the University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability. Dr. Reames is a former Presidential appointee in the Biden-Harris Administration, where he held several senior leadership roles within the U.S. Department of Energy focused on energy justice and community-based clean energy initiatives. She is also joined by Mary Braun, Green Projects Director at the North End Woodward Community Coalition (NEWCC), a Detroit-based social justice and community development organization dedicated to equitable systems change, community ownership, and neighborhood wealth building. Together, they discuss how community development organizations are leveraging renewable energy projects to advance climate and energy justice, expand economic opportunity, and ensure that communities share in the benefits of the clean energy transition. Using Detroit as an example, they explore lessons that can help communities across the country develop more equitable and sustainable approaches to renewable energy. This conversation offers valuable insights for nonprofit leaders, community developers, policymakers, and anyone interested in the intersection of renewable energy, equity, and community impact.