Episode 4: Eric Veium from SLO Climate Coalition

Welcome to "Taking Power: Community Choice Energy and the Grassroots." I’m your host, Mariah Clegg. On each episode I bring you important conversations with community environmental advocates along the California’s Central Coast to talk about our region’s involvement with Community Choice Energy.  At heart, Community Choice Energy is about seizing crucial energy questions — where your energy comes from, what it’s made from, who builds the infrastructure, and much more — and bringing decisions closer to home.

Today, I am so pleased to introduce Eric Veium, who chairs the SLO Climate Coalition and has spent his career so far advancing regional climate solutions in SLO. That's San Luis Obispo for listeners outside the Central Coast.  

What is Community Choice Energy, and how does it work? CCEs shift decision-making power over energy purchases from investor-owned utilities like PG&E and Southern California Edison to locally-controlled public agencies called CCAs. For many advocates, CCAs are a way for local actors to take power over our energy system and manifest democratic change from the grassroots. More and more Californians are being served by CCAs like our very own Central Coast Community Energy (3CEnergy). On this show, you can learn what you need to know about the connection between energy and democracy on the Central Coast. 

I want to give a huge shout-out to the Sanderlings, a Santa Barbara local surf punk band that has generously allowed me to use their music for this podcast. The opening song is Lizards Mouth, written in appreciation of one of the Central Coast’s natural wonders. Artwork by @Starwall.

For more on Distributed Energy Resources, check out Eric's workshop on CCAs and DERs.

Watch out for the next CAC meeting, October 6th at 4PM. You can participate via Zoom through the site.