{"id":11133,"date":"2023-05-02T17:00:21","date_gmt":"2023-05-02T22:00:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sabathani.webaloolabs.com\/?p=11133"},"modified":"2023-05-03T09:13:28","modified_gmt":"2023-05-03T14:13:28","slug":"sabathanis-community-energy-project-fighting-the-good-fight","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sabathani.webaloolabs.com\/?p=11133","title":{"rendered":"Sabathani’s Community Energy Project: Fighting the Good Fight"},"content":{"rendered":"

South Minneapolis residents deserve protection from the changing climate. For three years, Sabathani Community Center has led the charge to right the climate injustices done to South Minneapolis, but we can\u2019t do this alone. We need your help. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What You Need to Know<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h4>\n

The Community Energy Project emerged out of the 38th Street THRIVE! Strategic Development Plan for the City of Minneapolis<\/a>, which nurtures the corridor along 38<\/span>th<\/span> street, \u201cthe heart of Minneapolis\u201d \u2013 a historically Black community.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Our community has the highest asthma rate<\/a> for children in the state of Minnesota, a\u00a0full 10 times higher than average across the State of Minnesota. Plus, the likelihood of dying of asthma is three times higher if you are Black or Asian. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Systemic inequities are real.\u00a0Communities of color such as ours have often been positioned in areas of less infrastructure development, with older buildings in need of repair, less energy-efficient, and more vulnerable to the stressors of climate change. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Sabathani Community Center is no exception. Our 100-year-old building, formerly a junior high school, scored a stunning \u201czero\u201d on its energy efficiency rating in 2018. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

With the mission to partner with our community and to be a hub for resilience, we knew a change was needed. In 2020, we witnessed the murder of George Floyd in our front yard of 38<\/span>th<\/span> Street and Chicago Avenue and found ourselves in the epicenter of a global racial reckoning. We saw our community hurting and we knew we had to find ways to help it heal.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

With the community, we recognized how we could be a voice for change on many levels, from how we can come together to fight racial injustice to how we can be an example of fighting climate injustices. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

And that work begins at home. South Minneapolis needs a place that people can trust in times of climate-related emergency, power outages, and natural disasters, and we need to be a leader in reducing pollution and sourcing renewable energy. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What the Community Energy Project Includes<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h4>\n

The project is multifaceted and includes\u00a0renovating all our energy systems, from lighting to heating and cooling to energy storage and more.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

We couldn\u2019t undertake a project of this scope alone. Our partners in the project have been vital, helping us imagine the future and realize the possibilities. Key collaborators include Center for Energy and Environment (CEE), Xcel Energy, The City of Minneapolis, McKnight Foundation, Hennepin County, Rep. Ilhan Omar, President Andrea Jenkins, and engineering firms Apex, and Darcy. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Sabathani is currently pursuing funding for this project through the Minnesota State Legislature and other Department of Energy grants. Thanks to McKnight Foundation and Representative Ilhan Omar who have helped with funding. Here\u2019s where we are with the project progress as of now:<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"Benefits to the Community\u00a0<\/span><\/h4>\n