colorful graphic with text: celebrating AAPI heritage month

Celebrating Asian American and Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander Heritage Month

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May is Asian American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month and the EcoBlock team honors the culture, history, and contributions of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders across the United States.

The EcoBlock team recognizes that climate justice is impossible without racial justice. Environmental pollution, extreme weather events, and health crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic disproportionately affect traditionally underserved communities, including people of color. We remain committed to working with local neighborhoods to address these injustices and hope our research and partnership will further resilience and inclusivity.

The Oakland EcoBlock aims to radically reduce carbon emissions and undertake collaborative action to empower local communities, especially those that might otherwise not have access to clean energy. By coupling in-home efficiency and electrification retrofits with block-level community solar, the EcoBlock model will unlock social and environmental benefits, including reduced tailpipe emissions through electric mobility and carshare, improved indoor air quality by phasing out natural gas, and equitable access to clean technologies. EcoBlock is creating a technical blueprint—along with a legal, financial, and social roadmap—to enable the adoption of this holistic approach to decarbonize cities.

The EcoBlock team stands with local residents, partners, and all those fighting for racial and environmental justice. We celebrate the contributions of, and recognize the challenges faced by, the AANHPI community and will work to create an equitable, sustainable future for all.

AANHPI: Resources for Learning & Teaching

University of California Anti-Racism Resources and Statements

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