Clean Mobility

A self-proclaimed nerd, avid reader, and documentary enthusiast growing up, Cureton found inspiration in the pages of inventor and engineer Nikola Tesla’s autobiography. Despite being born worlds away from Tesla—Black and in the home of Black Wall Street—he related to Tesla’s innovative ideas and that he did not fit in with the norm. “A lot of my interests weren’t really mainstream,” Cureton says.

A 2019 energy use study found that the city of Thornton and the community as a whole spent $89 million on energy bills in 2018. Representatives from Thornton, Adams 12 Five Star School District, United Power, and GRID Alternatives worked in collaboration to define the energy vision, goals and strategies that are customized for Thornton’s community values.

By following a plan, Thornton aims to save more than two-million kWh of electricity and reduce greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to taking 27,000 conventional vehicles off the road by 2022

What’s clear is that the climate crisis and racism are parts of a larger picture that has prevented us from evolving in the ways we think about energy. We’ve needed to take collective action to hold fossil fuel companies accountable for a long time, and, without it, there have been catastrophic human consequences, especially for communities of color around the world.

“Clean energy should be for everyone, and with a few strategic shifts, it can be,” said report co-author MeLena Hessel, a senior policy advocate with the Environmental Law & Policy Center. “Too often, low-income communities receive the brunt of pollution and the effects of climate change, but are left out of the solutions. This report lays out realistic, common-sense guidelines for utilities to share those solutions — and the clean energy future — with all.”