In this Peer Connect Webinar on Thursday, Feb. 27 at 1 p.m. (ET), we will focus on community-based strategies for consumer outreach and education in green utility practices related to the smart grid rollout in the Chicago area.

Initial upgrades to Illinois’s aging power grid began in 2012 after the passage of the Energy Infrastructure Modernization Act in 2011. Part of the investment made by the Act was the creation of the Illinois Science and Energy Innovation Foundation (ISEIF), a nonprofit to help consumers statewide understand and benefit from the new electrical system independently from utility efforts.

To fulfill this aim, ISEIF has allocated over $30 million to 135 community grants since 2014 to conduct grassroots energy education and outreach on the changes and choices in the new system, as well as a research project to investigate the impact of these efforts. The research findings demonstrate that community-based educators can positively impact efforts to increase green practices among energy consumers in urban settings.

This one-hour webinar will highlight perspectives from ISEIF, the funder; an outreach grantee, Elevate Energy; and two researchers investigating the impact of these efforts, Loyola University and Heartland Alliance.

Featured speakers:

• Yami Newell, Outreach Manager, Elevate Energy
• Teresa Neumann,Senior Researcher, Center for Urban Research and Learning, Loyola University Chicago
• Lindy Carrow, Associate Director, Social IMPACT Research Center, Heartland Alliance
• Uzma Noormohamed, Program Director, ISEIF