Please join us at the University Club on September 19th as we hear from guest speaker John Vaughn!
John Vaughn is the new Managing Director of Community Development of Fresh Energy, a 30 year-old nonprofit based in St. Paul that works statewide. Fresh Energy’s mission is to shape and drive bold policy to achieve equitable carbon-neutral economies.
2022/23 have been extraordinary years for new and accelerated clean energy funding at the state and federal levels. It is a complex, interrelated web that will deploy transformational funding for challenges from growing the nationwide electrical transmission infrastructure to rebates for electric vehicles.
John will describe the new Minnesota Climate Innovation Finance Authority, aka Green Bank, which has a huge upside for clean energy capital acceleration, how it is required to serve environmental justice communities (including what environmental justice communities are), and will discuss some possible strategies local communities may want to embrace in order to access green bank and other funding opportunities, including the much anticipated upcoming direct federal rebates.
Before joining Fresh Energy in May, John was a nonprofit executive director for 25 years in community and economic development on St. Paul’s Eastside, in Northeast Minneapolis, and recently with the Rural Renewable Energy Alliance (RREAL) in Backus, Minnesota. He is a former Leadership Fellow at the U of M’s Humphrey Institute and while working for RREAL was a Central Lakes Rotary member!
2022/23 have been extraordinary years for new and accelerated clean energy funding at the state and federal levels. It is a complex, interrelated web that will deploy transformational funding for challenges from growing the nationwide electrical transmission infrastructure to rebates for electric vehicles.
John will describe the new Minnesota Climate Innovation Finance Authority, aka Green Bank, which has a huge upside for clean energy capital acceleration, how it is required to serve environmental justice communities (including what environmental justice communities are), and will discuss some possible strategies local communities may want to embrace in order to access green bank and other funding opportunities, including the much anticipated upcoming direct federal rebates.
Before joining Fresh Energy in May, John was a nonprofit executive director for 25 years in community and economic development on St. Paul’s Eastside, in Northeast Minneapolis, and recently with the Rural Renewable Energy Alliance (RREAL) in Backus, Minnesota. He is a former Leadership Fellow at the U of M’s Humphrey Institute and while working for RREAL was a Central Lakes Rotary member!
At the end of John's presentation, Paul Meekin will introduce the idea of the St. Paul Rotary Club forming a Rotary Climate Action Team (RCAT) to work on environmental and climate issues. Exciting possibilities for our club!
Join Zoom Meeting
Meeting officially begins at 5:15 PM
Meeting ID: 825 184 8268
Passcode: 643825
Or, join by Phone: (312) 626-6799 or (346) 248-7799