By Sharon Abreu

I want to tell you about my newest role as an Alliance for Jobs and Clean Energy “Climate Justice Steward.”

This is a volunteer position in which I’m helping gather supporters for the AJCE’s policy to reduce fossil fuel emissions and create good new jobs. The AJCE is an impressive coalition of environmental and labor groups taking a holistic approach to transitioning off fossil fuels.

I’ve been promoting the concept of “Just Transition” since I learned about it in 1998, as a Trade Union delegate to the U.N. Commission on Sustainable Development. Just Transition is an organized, well-funded way to speed the transition to renewable energy and energy efficiency while providing protection for those who would likely be most impacted by the transition — low-income people, people of color, people working in the fossil fuel industry and energy-intensive industries in our state.

The AJCE’s plan for a Just Transition is, I believe, realistic, responsible and positive.

I encourage you to watch this one-hour video of Sameer Ranade (who came to Friday Harbor to do a presentation with me in May), in which he goes into the specifics of the policy:

Last summer I collected signatures for Initiative 732. There were some concerns about that initiative, and I believe what the AJCE is proposing is more solid. If it doesn’t pass the state legislature, we’ll work to get it on the ballot in 2018.

I’m the AJCE’s “hub” person for San Juan County, so I’ll have materials for people who need them.

If you’d like the AJCE’s policy document, email me at sharmuse@gmail.com. Check out the Alliance’s website at jobscleanenergywa.com.

In October we’ll have a kickoff event (or possibly events) to celebrate the launch of the AJCE’s campaign in the San Juans. Let me know if you’d like to be involved in helping to plan or promote the kickoff(s) at 376-5773 or sharmuse@gmail.com. I’m excited and I hope you’ll get excited, too, when you see this plan for transitioning off fossil fuels and creating the healthy world we want for ourselves, our kids and grandkids.