Rachel’s Network announced that it has awarded tribal attorney Tara Houska with its inaugural Catalyst Award. Tara (Couchiching First Nation Anishinaabe) is former campaigns director of Honor the Earth, former advisor on Native American affairs to Bernie Sanders, and founder of Giniw collective, a grassroots, frontlines effort led by indigenous women to protect Anishinaabe territory from the destruction of Enbridge’s Line 3 tar sands project.
Rachel’s Network announced that it has awarded environmental justice advocate Juliana Pino with its inaugural Catalyst Award. Juliana is policy director at the Little Village Environmental Justice Organization (LVEJO), a community-based frontline group that organizes for environmental justice and self-determination of immigrant, low-income, and working-class families. She was lead negotiator for low-income programs in the 2016 Illinois Future Energy Jobs Act, the most transformative piece of energy system legislation in the state’s history.
Rachel’s Network has partnered with republicEn, the Evangelical Environmental Network (EEN), and DEPLOY/US to help fund a unique collaboration in support of republicEN’s 2018 and 2019 EnCourage Tour. Since 2017, the tour has partnered with local conservative and climate organizations and political leaders around the country, to conduct climate-solutions town halls, panel discussions, and educational tours.
Rooftop solar is not the only option for American households looking to go solar. Community solar allows households to enroll in a centralized, shared solar farm in their area and see savings on their electric bill. Solstice Founder and CEO Steph Speirs explains why community solar is vital to reaching the four out of five Americans without access to rooftop solar.
Rachel’s Network has strong roots in Colorado. Home to over a dozen of our members, beautiful national parks, innovative research institutions, and a culture of environmentalism, it was the perfect place for our Fall Retreat after over a decade’s absence. Here’s a summary of our visit and what we learned.