Convening Los Angeles
People Power: Building Healthy Homes for All
“The event as a whole was fantastic and did a great job of bringing people together and helping them understand how their work overlaps.”
- NEWHAB Member
Embedded content: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gzgs7AHh4mk&t=1s Produced by Potomac Valley Productions this video highlight the work of the network.
People Power: Building Healthy Homes for All, was the theme for the 2019 NEWHAB + EEFA Annual Convening that brought together over 180 NEWHAB members, Energy Efficiency for All partners, local Angelelos and other allies working on energy efficiency in existing affordable multifamily buildings.
2019 focused on finding a strategic balance between big picture inspiration and tactical learning within the context of community power building. Collectively, we doubled down on our capacity to work effectively in intersectional ways that acknowledge historical legacies and current realities while reimagining a just future where everyone has access to a good home.
Our Los Angeles convening was largely about community power and how we are collectively creating the conditions for change. We focused on storytelling as a means for influencing people and driving equitable outcomes for good housing. We took stock of our own stories and personal motivations. We examined the necessary conditions for “moving the political middle”, dismantling systemic racism and recognizing power inherent in community.
We dove deep into the story of progressive energy policy in California is a long and complex history. California is the world’s 6th largest economy and hosts some of the most extreme wealth disparities in the nation. With fires and mudslides, extractive industries, poor air quality, and an affordable housing crisis, California has had a complex journey towards creating policies that protect vulnerable populations. The robust landscape of climate and clean energy programs that exist in the state today stem from decades of organizing work that began in part because of the discriminatory policies from the 1970’s through 1990’s. And, importantly, the good fight continues even now for preserving affordable housing, preventing displacement, and achieving environmental and justice overall for frontline communities in the state.
Member driven and collectively visioned, the collaboration of over 30+ planning committee members and members of our California local host committee, mindfully designed a gathering that fostered relationships across sectors. We leaned heavily into intimate conversations rather than panel discussions, problem-solving sessions rather than case study presentations, and inviting members to connect their intellectual work to their heart-driven work. This year was an invitation for folks to show up as whole people, not just wearing their job title. The Convening is a space for creating authentic relationships not just transactional connections.
“Each year, the Convening recharges my batteries as an advocate. I walked away this year with renewed passion, vigor, and hope. I also learned a great deal about the connection between water and affordability, and am gaining a better understanding of how important it is to view a person, a home, a community from a holistic perspective.”
- NEWHAB Member
Place-based Workshops:
- Everything is Racist. Now What?
- Advancing Clean Energy Solutions for Underserved Renters in Los Angeles
- Pruning, Planting, and Playing in the Dirt
Learning Intensives:
Health Sessions
- Financing a Wealth of Benefits
- Health, Materials, and Energy Efficiency: Aligning Efforts to Accelerate Adoption
- The State of Policy Alignment: Building Equity in Housing, Energy, and Health
- Toward Defining a Universal Tenant Energy Bill of Rights
- (un)Intended Outcomes: People and Health as a Driver for Energy Upgrades
Water Sessions
- Drops in the Bucket Can Make Waves! Multifamily Water Upgrades
- Get in the Flow
- Savings at the Energy-Water Nexus
- Stronger Together - A Case for Collaborating Across Networks
- Water Affordability and Successful Programs
- Weathering the Storm: Resilience Lessons and Financing Approaches
Energy Sessions
- Advancing Energy Equity for Renters
- Energy Data Resources
- Is Workable Climate Change Policy Unaffordable?
- Collective Closing Songwriting Workshop
- Making Our Homes Healthier and Climate-Beneficial through Electrification
- Motivating Owners to Take Action
- When Nonprofits Play Nice, More California Residents Soak Up the Sun