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So, as a child,
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I used to spend all of my time at my great-grandmother's house.
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On hot, humid, summer days, I would dash across the floor
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and stick my face in front of her only air conditioner.
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But I didn't realize that that simple experience,
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though brief,
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was a privileged one in our community.
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Growing up, stories of next-door neighbors having to set up fake energy accounts
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or having to steal energy
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seemed normal to me.
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During the winter, struggling to get warm,
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my neighbors would have no choice but to bypass the meter
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after their heat was shut off,
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just to keep their family comfortable for one more day.
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These kinds of dangerous incidents can take root
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when people are faced with impossible choices.
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In the US, the average American spends three percent of their income on energy.
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In contrast, low-income and rural populations
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can spend 20, even 30 percent of their income on energy.
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In 2015, this caused over 25 million people to skip meals
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to provide power to their homes.
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This is when energy becomes a burden.
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But energy burdens are so much more than just a number.
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They present impossible and perilous choices:
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Do you take your child to get her flu medicine,
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or do you feed her?
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Or do you keep her warm?
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It's an impossible choice,
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and nearly every month,
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seven million people choose between medicine and energy.
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This exposes a much larger and systemic issue.
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Families with high energy burdens are disproportionately people of color,
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who spend more per square foot than their white counterparts.
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But it's also nurses, veterans and even schoolteachers
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who fall into the mass of 37 million people a year
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who are unable to afford energy for their most basic needs.
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As a result, those with high energy burdens
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have a greater likelihood of conditions like heart disease and asthma.
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Look -- given our rockets to Mars and our pocket-sized AI,
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we have the tools to address these systemic inequities.
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The technology is here.
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Cost of renewables, insulation, microgrids and smart home technology
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are all decreasing.
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However, even as we approach cost parity,
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the majority of those who own solar earn much more than the average American.
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This is why, when I was 22, I founded the nonprofit RETI.
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Our mission is to alleviate energy burdens by working with communities,
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utilities and government agencies alike
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to provide equitable access to clean energy,
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energy efficiency and energy technology.
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But there's no one way to solve this.
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I believe in the power of local communities,
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in the transforming effect of relationships.
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So we start by working directly with the communities
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that have the highest energy burdens.
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We host workshops and events for communities
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to learn about energy poverty,
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and how making even small updates to their homes
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like better insulation for windows and water heaters
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can go a long way to maximize efficiency.
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We're connecting neighborhoods to community solar
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and spearheading community-led smart home research
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and installation programs
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to help families bring down their energy bills.
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We're even working directly with elected officials,
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advocating for more equitable pricing,
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because to see this vision of energy equity and resilience succeed,
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we have to work together sustainably.
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Now, the US spends over three billion a year
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on energy bill payment assistance.
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And these programs do help millions of people,
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but they're only able to help a fraction of those in need.
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In fact,
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there is a 47-billion-dollar home-energy affordability gap,
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so assistance alone is not sustainable.
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But by building energy equity and resilience into our communities,
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we can assure fair and impartial access
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to energy that is clean, reliable and affordable.
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At scale, microgrid technology, clean technology and energy efficiency
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dramatically improve public health.
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And for those with high energy burdens,
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it can help them reclaim 20 percent of their income --
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20 percent of a person's income who's struggling to make ends meet.
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This is life-changing.
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This is an opportunity for families to use their energy savings
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to sponsor their future.
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I think back to my great-grandmother and her neighbors,
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the impossible choices that they had to make
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and the effect it had on our whole community.
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But this is not just about them.
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There are millions nationwide having to make the same impossible choices today.
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And I know high energy burdens are a tremendous barrier to overcome,
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but through relationships with communities and technology,
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we have the paths to overcome them.
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And when we do,
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we will all be more resilient.
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Thank you.
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(Applause)