We are thrilled to introduce our Spring 2024 interns! It's an exciting time for us as we get to witness fresh talent and new perspectives joining our team. The growth and development of our organization are greatly influenced by the contributions of our interns, and we cannot wait to see the amazing work they will bring to the table.
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January 18, 2024 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: agoldstein@ninetywest.com Public Officials and Advocates Call Out Harmful, Predatory Practices of Third Party Electric Suppliers Leaders Join Together to Advance Policy that Protects Massachusetts Customers BOSTON — Local, state, and federal leaders came together yesterday to advocate for policy that protects Massachusetts residents from predatory third party electric suppliers. The call follows years of data illustrating that third party suppliers frequently rely on aggressive, misleading tactics and lead to massive consumer overpayment. In 1997, Massachusetts deregulated its electricity market, allowing customers to choose between their utility and third party suppliers. But as in other states with deregulated electricity, third party suppliers have failed to deliver promised benefits to residential customers; instead, they often charge exorbitant rates and lean on misleading marketing as well as aggressive - sometimes downright illegal - sales tactics. Beginning in 2018, a series of reports by then-Attorney General Maura Healey and current Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell have documented consistent, significant consumer losses – including $525 million in overpayments between July 2015 and June 2021 – disproportionately impacting low income residents and people of color. “Our research in the Attorney General’s Office continues to show that vulnerable residents across Massachusetts are losing money when they sign contracts with competitive electric suppliers. This is an issue of economic security and energy injustice as we continue to see suppliers enrolling disproportionately high numbers of low-income residents and residents of color with false promises of savings on their utility bills,” said Liz Anderson, Chief of the Energy and Ratepayer Advocacy Division at the Attorney General’s Office, speaking on behalf of Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell. “With Senator Crighton and Representative Moran’s proposed legislation, there is a solution sitting at the State House that must be passed. Attorney General Campbell is proud to support this bill and will continue to push for its passage on behalf of consumers.” In a recent letter to the Federal Trade Commission, U.S. Senator Edward J. Markey joined with U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren and Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-7) to urge regulators to “immediately open an investigation into the unfair and deceptive marketing acts and practices of competitive electric suppliers.” “As winter continues and competitive electric suppliers across the nation continue to prey on fears of high electricity bills, we must not tolerate business as usual,” said US Senator Markey. “Consumers deserve protection, not deception. The green energy revolution must have a level playing field.” In the City of Boston, some residents have paid suppliers as much as $300 extra per month compared to the City’s Community Choice Electricity (BCCE) program, at rates as high as $0.60/kWh. The City’s BCCE program offers consumers an alternative to basic utility service, including a 100% renewable option, that reduces costs while maintaining transparency and accountability. “Boston is one of the places where competitive electric suppliers have been most aggressive. These companies aggressively target low-income residents, seniors, in some instances members of the disabled community, Black and brown residents, immigrants, in particular those who don’t speak English as their first language,” said Rev. Mariama White-Hammond, Chief of Environment, Energy and Open Space for the City of Boston. “Many times, we are hearing about these same predatory companies misrepresenting themselves as part of the City of Boston program. I know this to be true because they made the mistake of coming to my front door and telling my husband that they were connected to the City’s program.” Rev. White-Hammond continued: “There has been more than enough opportunity for these companies to change their behavior. The fact that they continue to do these predatory practices is a choice, and a choice for which they should be held accountable.” Across Massachusetts, there are 167 cities and towns with municipal aggregation — and more programs are pending approval from the Department of Public Utilities. A ban on third party suppliers from signing up new residential customers would not apply to aggregations, preserving consumer choice and contributing to clean energy goals through the many programs that offer renewable options. “The evidence is clear: third party electric suppliers are frequently greenwashing through misleading pro-environmental marketing. Suppliers use consumers’ good intentions to jack up the price for a product that hurts consumers without really helping the planet. By contrast, most municipal aggregations offer renewable energy that can save consumers money and advance Massachusetts climate goals,” said Larry Chretien, President of the Green Energy Consumers Alliance. “In the course of meeting community members and enrolling them in Mass Save programs and low-income community solar, we were reviewing their electric bills and seeing that many were on these harmful third party supply contracts, were carrying a balance, and were not enrolled in discounted rates even though they qualified for them,” said Gabe Shapiro, Co-Founder and Co-Executive Director, Partnerships at All in Energy. “In one campaign in Boston we directly supported 77 mostly low income residents. Many of these families were struggling to pay their bills. Over 40% were carrying a balance. More than half of these families were on third party supply contracts, and on average they were paying 43% more than they would have been if they were enrolled in the City’s Community Choice Electric program. Some residents didn’t even remember signing up for these contracts.” Shapiro read a statement on behalf of Michelle, a resident from Dorchester who supports banning third party suppliers. “My father, who is an older member of the community, had an agreement with a third party supply company and they were charging him $0.49/kWh. Once the initial agreement expired, his energy bill doubled in price,” said Michelle. “Once my father applied and was approved through the City’s program, his electric bill came down tremendously.” A bill by Massachusetts State Senator Brendan Crighton and State Representative Frank Moran would ban third party suppliers from signing up new residential customers. The ban would not apply to commercial customers or municipal aggregations. “Because competitive suppliers are able to charge whatever rates they want without approval from the state, too many customers get charged more as a result. Many customers don’t know what they’re signing up for, or are even signed up without their knowledge. These tactics are predatory and deplorable. We must put a stop to it,” said State Senator Brendan Crighton. "Our legislation would help these folks by preventing suppliers from entering into new contracts with individual residential retail customers. This will end the patchwork solutions to this pervasive problem and put a stop to these harmful practices once and for all.” As the Massachusetts State Legislature moves forward on a large climate package, it has the opportunity to put an end to third party suppliers' legacy of harming Massachusetts customers. Opposing the move are third party electric suppliers and industry associations. Supporting the ban are Attorney General Campbell, Mayor of Boston Michelle Wu, Governor Maura Healey, and many clean energy and consumer protection advocates. A recording of yesterday’s virtual briefing is available to interested media upon request, as well as any additional inquiries relative to the third party electric supplier industry. ###
Hello Everyone! If you’ve been following our feed, you will have heard from staff and alumni about everything that All In Energy has accomplished in its first 5 years. If you haven’t seen those videos you should go back and learn how your support has helped create an organization that already has so much to be proud of. Your support enabled us to prove our model to the Massachusetts utilities who have chosen us to lead the program that is the center of their energy equity work. This has come with a sustainable funding model that is likely to help us continue the great work we are doing in Massachusetts for the foreseeable future. Our program’s success has created opportunities for us to build upon this strong foundation and continue to expand our impact. Hello everyone, my name is Ana Lucia Lopez, and it's a pleasure to share a little bit of my journey with you. I'm originally from Colombia and have been living in the U.S. for 8 years. Back in my college days at Bunker Hill Community College, I was studying Visual Design, and eager to find an internship that would not only help me grow my skills but also contribute to my professional growth. My journey with All In Energy began in 2020, at a time when I felt like I was riding a roller coaster. We were navigating through the challenges of a global pandemic, I was far away from my family, and in a political environment that created doubts about my immigration status. So all of those things combined weighed me down, a sentiment very familiar to many immigrants. There's a constant struggle with feeling undervalued when English isn't your first language and you weren't born here. As many of you know, All In Energy turned five years old this year! As this year comes to a close, I’ve been thinking about what we’ve accomplished in our first five years as an organization. I wanted to share a quick recap of the tremendous growth we’ve had since we started in spring 2018 and share some of what is so exciting about where we are today. Thinking back a little over 5 years ago, Gabe and I didn’t even know each other! We were introduced by a professor at BU and, after a 2 hour conversation over coffee, Gabe invited me to join him in launching a new nonprofit All In Energy with a mission to accelerate an inclusive clean energy economy. The vision was to bring energy efficiency and renewable energy programs to underserved communities and to leverage this work to create first-time career-launching clean energy jobs for diverse candidates. Looking back, I hardly knew this guy, but I took the biggest risk of my career and said yes. Boy am I glad I did.
With 2023 coming to an end, we want to express our gratitude to everyone who has supported and followed All In Energy and the work we do. A special shout-out goes to the incredible interns who joined us this year, embedding their passion and talent into our journey. Here are glimpses of the interns we had the privilege to collaborate with this year, offering a sneak peek into their journey with us.
AIE. ILY. As a graduate student pursuing a Master of Arts in Communication at Merrimack College while juggling being a Residence Director and a student-athlete, All In Energy granted me one of the best opportunities Covid gave us: a remote internship. While this may not have been my first internship, it was my first working in the clean energy field. When I became the Marketing and Communications Intern, it was my job to customize engaging marketing materials and social media graphics about energy efficiency and renewable for underserved communities. But how was I supposed to do that if I barely knew how to explain those phrases? Of course, I understood the basics of clean energy. To translate it into an appealing graphic was a different story. Different, but not difficult. All In Energy provided the resources needed to complete my tasks effectively. The transition from learning to doing was smooth as I received training during the first week of my internship regarding energy efficiency and its various components and benefits, such as insulation, energy bill checkups, and more. I could go on and on about what I learned, like how to use online task management tools like Asana or experiment with color palettes and contrast to create aesthetically pleasing designs. However, what I earned is a different perspective. I had the chance to gain relationships with several members of All In Energy and understand them as both workers and people, especially the co-founders. (How many beneficial companies exist where you meet the founders?) I earned the chance to work with a company that focused on helping underserved communities save money and supplying them with career opportunities since the clean energy industry lacks diversity. As an African American woman, I loved that approach and appreciated the inclusion of the company. Most significantly, I earned growth. I grew my knowledge about nonprofit organizations, economic justice, and climate change. This growth enlightened me about new skills I adapted and maximized the skills I possess. Now that I’m finished with school and am figuring out what is next for me, I do know one thing: I aim to work in an environment as supportive and dedicated as All In Energy. - Goldera Surles, Marketing and Communications Intern
Read our co-founder Rouwenna Altemose's award ceremony remarks below:Thank you so much for this incredible award. We are just so honored to be recognized with this inaugural DEI Founders Award. All In Energy turned five this year - what a way to celebrate! When my co-founder Gabe Shapiro and I decided to start All In Energy five years ago with a mission to accelerate an inclusive clean energy economy, we aimed to tackle two interrelated problems at the same time: Despite MA having nation-leading energy efficiency and renewable energy programs, more of these resources were flowing to wealthier whiter communities with low income and BIPOC communities being left behind. At the same time, while our state had a quickly growing clean energy economy, women were underrepresented by 50% compared to the overall population and, while data is sparse, walk into nearly any clean energy company and you’ll immediately see that people of color are underrepresented in leadership roles across the industry. We decided to create an organization that would run community-based outreach campaigns to engage residents in underserved communities and help them connect to energy-saving programs that save money, make homes healthier and fight climate change. We would simultaneously create first-time clean energy job opportunities for diverse candidates, focusing on recruiting talent from communities like those we aimed to serve. When we told people about this vision, we often got the response that this was too complicated and no one would understand what we were trying to do. However, I’m proud to say that five years later, we are still focused on this dual approach - and it’s working! To date, we have provided jobs, paid or credit earning internships to 70 individuals, of whom 57% have been women, 57% multilingual, and 67% have identified as BIPOC or Latinx. For 74%, their work with us was their first experience in the clean energy industry. It has been so inspiring to watch the career growth of these individuals. Take Natalia, or Nat, Tanko who worked with us back in Fall 2018 as a Community Outreach Intern - their first clean energy job. After helping us engage over 125 residents through field outreach, they decided to stay in the industry. Over the past 3.5 years, Nat has advanced 5 levels from Intern to Produce Manager II, at Uplight, a software company that connects energy customers to the decarbonization goals of power providers while helping those customers save energy and lower costs. Or Grace Umana, a first generation college student whose parents immigrated to the US from Honduras. She joined our team while she was a student at BHCC to knock renter’s doors in Cambridge. She was interested in environmental justice but wasn’t sure she had the skills to jump into the industry. She totally did. She advanced through several roles with us to become a Program Manager. Grace was particularly adept at building trust with residents, especially Spanish speakers, and this allowed her to engage residents in energy efficiency programs, connect them with programs to overcome utility debt, and provide critical feedback to other vendors in the industry on how to build this trust. Recently, Grace accepted a new position at the City of Chelsea where she will be engaging residents and connecting them with a wide variety of services to address inequities. While we are sad to see her go, we see her growth as a successful demonstration of the career-launching potential of our mission. We have rapidly expanded our outreach work, moving from an initial pilot campaign in Dorchester MA to now supporting over 50 communities statewide to connect underserved groups to the Mass Save programs. We are expanding our energy bill check-ups to help residents get them out of predatory 3rd party energy contracts and out of major energy bill debt. We are now leveraging this work to influence systemic changes within Mass Save, in collaboration with the community organizations, municipalities and key partners within the utilities. Our work has DEI at its core and we have done our best to build an organization with a diverse team, an inclusive culture, and equitable practices. And we know there is always more to be done to deepen our own understanding of equity issues, integrate the perspectives of our diverse team and formalize our commitment through our organizational practices. As we continue to grow, we are doubling down on this commitment, with plans to hire a DEI consultant this next year to help us strengthen and formalize our efforts internally and externally. (I know this isn’t a fundraising speech, but if you all know folks who fund this kind of work, I’m all ears!)
We are grateful to NEWIEE for your commitment to equity and the support your hey have provided to our team members, especially some of our early-career staff who have benefited from being exposed to such a diversity of professionals and career types and to mentorship opportunities. Thank you again for this incredible honor to be recognized with this award. We look forward to continued partnership as we all work to advance equity across the industry.
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February 2024
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About usAll In Energy is a 501(c)3 nonprofit with a mission to advance an inclusive clean energy economy. We bring energy efficiency and renewable energy to underserved communities, while increasing job opportunities for diverse talent in the clean energy industry.
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