Road to Zero: Leaving no community behind

As a community-owned utility, SMUD exists to improve the quality of life for our customers and community in one of the most diverse regions in the country. We’re on a bold journey to achieve a clean energy future by removing all carbon emissions from our power supply by 2030, and we won’t leave any community behind. Approaching our zero carbon goal through an equity lens will help ensure all communities reap the health, environmental, economic and workforce development benefits of a clean energy future.

Equity matters

Did you know that children in the Sacramento region are 22% more likely to have asthma than the average American kid? Sacramento also ranks sixth in the nation for days of unhealthy and unsafe levels of air pollution in the ozone layer. And, while we’ve made improvements, we have much more work to do. We know our historically under-resourced communities are disproportionately impacted by climate change, compounding the multitude of issues these communities already face.

Our goal to reach zero-carbon in our power supply by 2030 is bold and we can’t get there alone.

We want and need our customers to be part of the journey to a clean energy future.

At the end of the day, we’ll judge our success by the human and community impact of our work.

How we’re addressing equity

Through our neighborhood electrification program, SMUD is partnering with leaders and communities across our region to help income-eligible customers switch from gas to electric equipment and appliances, all at no cost.

There are options for homeowners and renters. For example, we’re reaching under-resourced neighborhoods like Gardenland through targeted education and outreach and lifting up an entire community through energy efficiency, electrification solar and more. This program is holistic in its approach, as it helps customers save money and energy over the long term while also reducing carbon emissions.

I’m excited by the work happening in Gardenland and see it as a model other utilities can replicate.

As I wrote in a previous article, I’m passionate about electric vehicles and other clean mobility solutions, and making it accessible to all customers is crucial. So, we’re partnering with Green Tech, a clean tech education non-profit and the Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management District to build the Del Paso Mobility Center. It’s a clean ride-sharing hub where customers in this historically under-served community can register for an EV. This allows them to borrow, for free, one of the cars for a certain amount of time and return it to the Hub after they’re done.

Sacramento ranked in the bottom third of the country’s 100 largest metropolitan areas in composite rankings of growth, prosperity, and inclusion from 2006 to 2016, in a Brookings report. Thirty-four percent of our residents were unable to afford basic household expenses. The report recommended urgent action to address the racial and ethnic disparities in education and job skills across the Sacramento region. SMUD’s Sustainable Communities program grew out of that awareness, a program focused on bringing environmental equity and economic vitality to all communities in our service area, with special attention given to historically under-resourced neighborhoods. You can read about our Sustainable Communities program and the impact it’s having in our communities in more detail in my last article.

Lastly, our continued support for workforce development is changing lives by providing access to skilled, high-paying jobs.

Our Energy Careers Pathways program educates adults ages 18 and up in the hands-on technical skills needed to work in the solar energy field. And as a founding member of the California Mobility Center, we’re proud to see the success of the CMC’s Career Pathways program, which establishes regional supply chains for technical labor, provides start-ups with on demand access to student-interns and skilled labor on a project basis and ensures priority communities have access to training and employment opportunities. Inclusive workforce development is also a key part of our 2030 Zero Carbon Plan, as we know we’ll need skilled people to work in these jobs of the clean energy future. And, we approach this in partnership with others to align regional resources on this critical effort.

A bright future for all

At SMUD, we exist to improve the quality of life for all in our region, one of the most diverse in the country. Community is in our DNA. So, we judge our success by the human and community impact of our work. Our journey to a clean energy future isn’t just exciting, it’s essential.  Not just today, but for generations to come.