I’ve been learning about the power of storytelling and narrative lately. Who tells the story, whose story is told, and which stories are told can shape both personal and collective paradigm. Amplifying the narratives of those whose stories are often overlooked or untold can help efforts toward equity and systemic change.
A recent Minnesota CERTs Seed Grant helped fund a special Outside the Box months-long project to tell stories about solar energy and environmental justice. I worked with other local creatives, youth at AICHO and energy and trades professionals in Duluth and the Twin Cities. "Solar Storytelling" is a series of three short videos (each under 4 minutes), highlighting people and professions related to renewable energy and environmental justice.
The three videos are the first of what we hope will be many stories told on the new Outside the Box YouTube channel.
Please watch them, share them, and use the links at the end of each video to learn more. At Outside the Box, we invite young people to tinker, to build, to create, and to imagine the possibilities for themselves and their world, outside the box.
CERTs staff recently interviewed me to share stories about the work I do through design, focusing in particular on my associations with Outside the Box and Green New Deal Housing. I’m grateful for the way the CERTs team presented these stories; I hope you’ll enjoy the read or the listen:
https://www.cleanenergyresourceteams.org/advancing-clean-energy-responsible-design