Listening Sessions with ESJ Communities
California has a strong commitment to ensuring that communities facing a disproportionate energy burden and historical inequities of efficiency investment enjoy the benefits of energy efficiency. In support of these statewide goals, CalMTA is working to apply an “equity lens” in development of the state’s first portfolio of energy efficiency market transformation initiatives (MTIs). To engage diverse communities in the early stages of market transformation (MT) portfolio design, CalMTA conducted a series of listening sessions with community-based organizations (CBOs), workforce education and training (WE&T) entities, and independent consultants focused on energy equity. These five 90-minute listening sessions were held in the fall of 2023 and sought to understand past experiences and attitudes of environmental and social justice (ESJ) stakeholders in relation to energy efficiency program engagement.