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Virginia presses ahead today with its virtual Green New Deal Coalition Summit

The state of Virginia is working to keep its renewable energy transition momentum going despite the pandemic. It’s going to hold a virtual Green New Deal Virginia Coalition Summit today, rather than canceling. The upside? Anyone can attend.

Virtual green Virginia

In March, Virginia passed landmark legislation that requires 30% or more of electricity to come from renewable sources by 2030 and sets a target of 100% net zero by 2050.

The law doubled the state’s offshore wind goal to 5.2GW, which will put Virginia third in the country for offshore wind, and creates incentives for 16.1GW of solar PV and 2.7GW of energy storage.

The virtual summit will address the fundamental interconnections between social, economic, and environmental justice. The summit page states:

This is a powerful opportunity to focus on the importance of connecting climate advocacy, to social justice, when considering any possibility of adequately addressing the climate crisis.

Racism, the economy, and the environment are interrelated.

The summit’s keynote speaker is William Barber, III, who is the strategic partnerships associate at the Climate Reality Project and serves as co-chair for the North Carolina Poor People’s Campaign Ecological Devastation Committee.

Breakout sessions will address the following topics:

  • Democratic governance
  • Defossilization, energy efficiency, and renewables
  • Food and agriculture
  • Sustainable cities and transportation
  • Social justice and health disparities
  • Sustainable jobs
  • Financing Green New Deal VA

The summit will take place today, June 3, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. To attend, click here.

Electrek’s Take

Virginia is to be commended, not only for tenacity, but also for addressing the other challenging and prominent issues that intertwine with becoming a greener society — the coronavirus crisis and racial inequality.

While face-to-face dialogue provides unique opportunities and rewards, the advantage of a virtual summit means that anyone in the world can listen in, participate, and learn. That’s inclusive.

Photo: Biswapati Acharya/Unsplash

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Avatar for Michelle Lewis Michelle Lewis

Michelle Lewis is a writer and editor on Electrek and an editor on DroneDJ, 9to5Mac, and 9to5Google. She lives in White River Junction, Vermont. She has previously worked for Fast Company, the Guardian, News Deeply, Time, and others. Message Michelle on Twitter or at michelle@9to5mac.com. Check out her personal blog.