September Newsletter: J40 Leadership Save the Date, Training Videos, and more!

Happy September, MWBDC!

It’s the season of back to school, cooler weather (finally!), and apple pie with hot coffee. After summer vacations and hot nights, September always feels like the month that brings busyness back into my life – and this year is no different! We have a lot going on with the Midwest Building Decarbonization Coalition, from evaluating all the funding applications received last month, finalizing details on upcoming events, and continuing our transition to an independent 501c3 (woohoo!)

Continue reading for our monthly news roundup, information and registration for our November Justice40 Leadership Bootcamp event, recordings of recent trainings sessions, and more!

In solidarity,

– Marnese, Jacob, and Maggie

MEMBER SPOTLIGHT

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This month, we are highlighting two MWBDC members – June Kelsaw and Madeleine McCullough. Learn more about them below.

June Kelsaw

Hello, MWBDC friends, my name is June Kelsaw. I was born and raised in Fort Wayne, Indiana, where I currently live. I am married, we have one son, and one beautiful teenage granddaughter (smile). I accepted Christ at an early age, and enjoy serving Him, by serving others. I’ve learned that the hallmark of life is how God opens our hearts and eyes to the world around us, to serve all people.

I am a graduate of the College of Biblical Studies and has conferred the degree of Bachelor of Science in Organizational Leadership (Summa Cum Laude). I am currently the Secretary/Admin. at my local Church (True Love Missionary Baptist Church) where I serve the Pastor, who also serves as the Moderator of our District (N.I.M.B.D.A) and as President of the Fort Wayne Baptist Ministers, and other Pastors and Ministers across the Midwest.

What makes me excited about being a part of this coalition is that the mission of MWBDC aligns with my own personal mission and faith. And that is to use my voice to reach out to communities with an open arm of compassion, with the living word of God. It is also my moral responsibility to connect with people of faith, and all who will listen. It is also my spiritual responsibility to help against any injustice.

This is why this work is important to me, it is because this work is a mandate from the creator, who has left us all stewards over this beautiful earth. Thank you for allowing me to be a part of such a monumental task, together we can make a difference.

Madeleine McCullough

As Program Coordinator and Analyst at the National Housing Trust, Madeleine supports engagement with affordable housing stakeholders in promoting energy efficiency and decarbonization efforts. She also works with Housing Finance Agencies and affordable housing developers in building their capacity to leverage resources through the Inflation Reduction Act. As the new co-lead for MWBDC’s Affordable Housing/QAP Working Group, she will continue to support the Coalition’s commitment to increasing deep energy efficiency and electrification measures on affordable housing projects.

Madeleine has joined MWBDC as the leader of our QAP / Housing Working Group – thanks for your leadership, Madeleine!

ANNOUNCEMENTS

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Save the date and register now for our Demystifying Justice40 Leadership Bootcamp!

Join MWBDC on November 16th, 2023 for a day-long workshop all about how we can build capacity, grow expertise, and work towards equitably implementing the Justice40 Initiative.

The bootcamp will be held from 9 AM – 4 PM EST, live on Zoom. We will be covering topics such as…

What really is the Justice40 Initiative? How can we get engaged in ensuring that it is actually implemented and funds the people it is intended to benefit?
Success stories from folks who have applied for (and won!) competitive grants
Tips and tricks on crafting your applications and an overview of helpful tools
How to craft your story – for an application, or to engage your community

You also won’t want to miss our Keynote Speaker, Naomi Davis, Founder and CEO of Blacks in Green – who was recently awarded a $10 Million grant from the Biden Administration to help other Midwestern Environmental Justice groups apply for federal funding.

We want everyone attending this bootcamp to feel confident in our collective power, equipped with resources, and ready to jump into doing the work – whether that’s applying for funding, educating your community on the opportunities available, or connecting with others in the region. More details on each session and speakers will be coming soon!

Learn more on the website

The grants subcommittee is hard at work!

Thank you to everyone who submitted an application for a participation stipend or an empowerment grant. Our grants review subcommittee has been hard at work going over the 120+ applications we received (!!!). We plan to notify applicants on September 15, 2023. If you have any questions or issues with your application, send an email to [email protected]!

September Training

Thursday, September 7, 12:00 PM EST / 11:00 AM CST – Register Now!

How is decarbonization different from efficiency? Why are Midwestern buildings so important? What’s all this about electrification?

Join MWBDC’s Co-Director Jacob Serfling, Manager of Building Policy and Technology, for this overview of Building Decarbonization, and why it’s so critical to do well and to do equitably.

August Recordings
We had so many great trainings take place this August – check out all of the recordings here in case you were not able to join us live!

Job Openings

Director of the Advanced Materials & Manufacturing Technologies Office | Department of Energy
Director of the Industrial Efficiency and Decarbonization Office | Department of Energy
Regional Energy Democracy Coordinator | Soulardarity
Project Manager, Community Programs (Detroit, MI) | Elevate
Senior Midwest Regional Policy Manager | Clean Air Task Force
Manager, Building Performance Programs | Illinois Green Alliance

Do you have announcements for the next Newsletter? Share them with Maggie at [email protected].

RESOURCES

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Environmental and Climate Justice Syllabus – Just Environment Labs

“The goal of the Environmental and Climate Justice Syllabus is to assemble readings, articles, case studies, and biographies from key writers, scholars, and activists working for environmental freedom (to borrow Malini Ranganathan’s phrase!). Our emphasis, here, is to generate a searchable and citable list of Black, Indigenous, and/or Latinx individuals, organizations, and movements which are indispensably foundational in the continued fight for environmental and climate justice. We are also expanding the syllabus to represent more non-US/non-Global North scholars. We also provide a few (not too many!) resources from allies whose work is deeply engaged throughout the syllabus.

We also have an affectation for planning, urban studies, and/or ecological perspectives on these topics given the emphases of our work. Lastly, we freely mix resources on environmental justice, climate justice, and (increasingly) disaster, energy, and food justice to emphasize the interconnections between these movements in the wake of climate change.”

Clean Jobs Midwest

Clean Jobs Midwest details the size of the clean energy sector. Want to learn more about clean energy employment in your state – and across the Midwest? Check out their interactive website with clean energy job stats for individual states across our region.

Webinar: Combining Incentives from the Inflation Reduction Act, Tax Credits and Other Sources – Department of Energy

“Multiple incentives exist for residential energy efficiency, but what is the best way to combine them? What does the guidance from the federal government say? What is still unclear? Learn more about a topic that will probably be discussed for some time to come.” Register here!

Minnesota – New Energy Programs

The Minnesota Department of Commerce is setting up numerous new energy programs passed by the 2023 Minnesota Legislature and signed into law by Governor Walz. This website serves as a hub for all these new programs – you can find information on EV and Heat Pump rebates, Solar for Schools, Energy Upgrade Grants, and more!