Solar Gardens for the Latino Community

NCLR HOSTS TOWN HALL ON COLORADO’S ENERGY ECONOMYHon. Federico Peña emphasizes voting and civic participation in remarks to Denver’s Hispanic community

DENVER, Colo.—The Honorable Federico Peña joined NCLR (National Council of La Raza) today for a town hall meeting to engage the Denver Hispanic community in a dialogue about Colorado’s clean energy economy.  As the first state to set a renewable portfolio standard, Colorado is actively reducing its use of limited energy sources such as coal and oil, while generating more power from renewable sources such as solar and wind.  Participants in the town hall discussed how this shift is affecting the jobs, health, and economic security of Latino workers and families in Colorado.

“Today we heard directly from Latino voters that they care deeply about clean air, clean water, and good jobs in Colorado,” said Eric Rodriguez, Vice President of the Office of Research, Advocacy, and Legislation at NCLR.  “Still, there is much progress to be made to ensure that our community has a seat at the table to shape the future of energy policy at the state and national levels.”

The event took place at Mi Casa Resource Center, an NCLR Affiliate that has served the Denver Latino community for over 34 years.

In addition to Peña—the first Hispanic mayor of Denver and the U.S. Secretary of Energy and Secretary of Transportation under President Clinton—the town hall also included a presentation from Joy Hughes, founder of the Solar Gardens Institute.  Solar gardens, or community-owned solar arrays, are one of several models to make renewable energy more accessible to individuals and low-income communities.  Renewable energy currently represents 10 percent of Colorado’s electricity generation, with a 30 percent target for the year 2020 for investor-owned utility companies.

NCLR—the largest national Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization in the United States—works to improve opportunities for Hispanic Americans.  For more information on NCLR, please visit www.nclr.org or follow along on Facebook and Twitter.

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Joseph Rendeiro, Media Relations Specialist

Office of Media Relations

National Council of La Raza (NCLR)

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