IMPACT Community Action is on the Front Lines In the War on Poverty.

By Bo Chilton, CEO

We are fighting poverty by providing hope-inspiring help and real opportunities for self-sufficiency. Historically, low-income people have been left out when plans about future growth and sustainability are being made. As part of our fight, we have undertaken bold new initiatives regarding climate justice, clean energy and green jobs.

Climate justice is a concept that addresses the just division, fair sharing, and equitable distribution of the burdens of climate change and its mitigation. It emphasizes fair, transparent and inclusive decision making, which entails basic respect and robust engagement with and fair consideration of diverse cultures and perspectives. Historically marginalized communities, such as low income, indigenous communities and communities of color often face the worst consequences of climate change: in effect the least responsible for climate change broadly suffer its gravest consequences.

We take pride in building partnerships that create collective impact and lasting change. Change that moves the needle starts with being in partnership with the people that we serve. We salute our community advocates and social justice warriors who work alongside us daily, fighting the good fight.

We also salute Congresswoman Beatty, Mayor Ginther and Columbus City Council, Franklin County Commissioners, AEP, the Columbus Partnership, the Energy Foundation and many other partners for their critically important role in helping us engage and serve our community in a more equitable way. We are excited to share just a few of the innovative programs and services that will be taking place over the next few years.

First, to our Congresswoman Beatty…words cannot express the depth of gratitude we have for you. We are honored to be included in this issue celebrating your leadership and legacy. Because of your efforts, championing our cause for a Federal earmark, IMPACT will receive $650K to build a Solar Workforce lab at our headquarters. Remembering the two most important words your mother taught you…we simply say, Thank you!

IMPACT’s Solar Workforce lab would not have been possible without the guidance and support from The Columbus Partnership and The Franklin County Commissioners. Together, they provided technical expertise and the match dollars necessary to secure the Federal earmark.

We wholeheartedly want to thank Mayor Ginther, Columbus City Council and City leaders from Sustainable Columbus for their visionary leadership in creating the Columbus Climate Action Plan, www.columbus.gov/sustainable/cap. In partnership with AEP and the City of Columbus, we launched Empowered! This is a 12-week workforce training program focused on clean energy, green jobs and climate justice. Participants earn while they learn and can receive as much as $400 per week. To date, we have seen 2 cohorts of 15 to 20 adults graduate and go on to pursue career paths that lead to family-sustaining wages. For more information about the Empowered! program, please contact Katie Devlin at empowered@impactca.org or call (614) 371-1245.

Additionally, IMPACT secured a $2 million dollar grant from the Department of Energy. We are 1 of only 4 demonstration grants in the country. In partnership with the residents of the American Addition neighborhood, Sustainable Co- lumbus, AEP, and Homeport, we have an aspirational goal to make American Addition the first Net Zero Black Neighborhood in the U.S.

Finally, I want to thank the staff and IMPACT Advocates who are employees hired from the opportunity neighborhoods of Linden, American Addition, Southside and Franklinton. They have been the frontline champions and trusted voices who have engaged and educated their fellow neighbors on issues of climate justice, clean energy, and green jobs. Together, we can realize the lofty aims of the Columbus Climate Action Plan. The Climate Justice framework ensures equitable engagement of marginalized communities and is built on a bottom-up philosophy as opposed to top down. As our region seeks to become the most prosperous region in the U.S., let us learn from the Climate Justice blueprint and fully embrace the ideal of One Columbus, prosperity for all.

Meet This Month’s