Three years ago, visionary Carla Walker Miller of Walker-Miller Energy set out to provide a forum for Black, Brown and Indigenous communities to come together to discuss, identify and promote innovations and opportunities emerging in the clean energy and sustainability sectors. To her credit, I believe she has succeeded beyond even her own expectations. Her courage and convictions have contributed to the genesis of what must now become a cohesive national movement to prepare our environment for the futures of the generations to come.
The topic of energy is infinite and all-encompassing for there is nothing that is not comprised of, with or produces some form of energy, essentially E=mc2, which is the principle of nuclear fission. This, by definition, makes everything atomic, composed of and held together by protons, neutrons and electrons; simply put Energy. Basically, this is why this topic must be of foremost concern to everyone.
Walker-Miller’s commitment to inclusion was demonstrated throughout the three days of programming last week highlighted by a panel session of Latinas moderated by Laura Chavez which included Tanya Saldivar-Ali of AGI Construction, a leader in green-build technology. The summit also provided our indigenous community with a panel to share their experience and vision with opportunities to partner and support to preserve the integrity of their treaties and tribal lands.
The summit provided a comprehensive program covering emerging sectors, e.g. EV’s, biofuels, wind, solar, hydrogen and energy storage systems. The purpose of this event was to provide us with the basis for a call to action and to alert us to the fact that in twenty-five years, yes 2050, is the target date for a number of things to happen or we will be facing the consequences of what we failed to do should we not take this seriously.
Notwithstanding our current administration’s gutting of the EPA and slashing of the Justice 40 budget’s, we must forge ahead by doing whatever we can with whatever we have to engage our reality. To our credit we live in the most environmentally friendly state in terms of policy, the MI Healthy Climate report supports that. We are the only state with shoreline on four of the five Great Lakes, by default making us the most geographically responsible for the collective care of the largest body of fresh water in the world.
Why should these things be important to you? Because also in 2050, the census will validate that our country will be majority minority at 52%, the largest segment, half of which will be Hispanic. This is just one generation away. Therefore, it is incumbent upon us to educate ourselves to provide the talent necessary to fill the demands of our all but certain future.
We will have to set aside our feelings about our treatment by those myopic individuals who mistakenly believe they are acting in the best interest of our country and prepare to take up the mantle and responsibility of leadership that comes with being 24% of the population. As a group, we will be the largest consumers of energy and therefore have the largest ability to influence its future and the shaping of policy that will govern it.
Numbers are not enough. To keep pace with the speed with which these sectors are developing, we must prepare our children. We must lead by example and commit to upskilling and reskilling ourselves. By 2050, we will carry the weight of the future of America on our shoulders, collectively generating the greatest percentage of our country’s productivity providing stability for economic growth going forward.
Ever the visionary, Walker-Miller’s objective for next year’s summit will be focused on quantitative and qualitative metrics to assess the impacts of efforts thus far. This cumulative work is essential to providing guidance to direct our next steps in each of these sectors, critical to assigning resources to achieving the goals and objectives as we prepare to approach 2050.
Walker-Miller Energy Services is one of the most successful start-ups to emerge from TechTown 25 years ago. TechTown then gave rise to NextEnergy, which today is joined by NewLab, to be joined in 2027 by the U of M Center for Innovation. These investments in creating the infrastructure for innovation are providing the impetus for the genesis of the Innovation Corridor connecting Detroit to Ann Arbor.
These things are happening now; these initiatives need you and your families. Encourage your children to consider careers in energy. Home Depot offers free online courses in skilled trades. There are programs like Michigan ReConnect , SER Metro-Detroit’s YouthBuild and others providing support and assistance. The future is now and there will be a seismic shift in how we use and produce energy. You can choose to be a consumer or a producer.
On average industry transitions take ten years.
