Overview
Racial Equity in Electric Mobility
The Greenlining Institute and Forth launched the Towards Equitable Electric Mobility Community of Practice in 2020. TEEM is a peer-to-peer community of advocates that share policy goals, build capacity, and develop a mutual commitment towards advancing racial equity in electric mobility and climate change goals. The cohort includes organizations from Colorado, Illinois, Michigan, North Carolina, and Virginia.
Our current transportation system is the largest source of air pollution in the United States. Exposure to transportation pollution in low-income communities of color is tied to redlining and decades of racist government policy that relegated communities of color to areas surrounded by busy roads, freeways, ports, and other freight corridors filled with toxic tail-pipe emissions at high rates.
Today, transportation is the second-highest household expense for most people, and a person’s commute time plays the most critical role in their chances of escaping poverty.
Innovative programs utilizing electric transportation can address many of these challenges. Ensuring that these programs are approved, funded, and implemented equitably and successfully requires partnerships between racial equity advocates and traditional environmental organizations. If electric mobility programs are designed to work for historically underserved communities, they will work better for all communities and maximize their environmental and economic benefits.
OUR SOLUTIONS
A Community of Practice
TEEM was established to create a community of advocates that share policy goals, build relationships, and develop mutual commitments towards advancing equity, electric transportation and climate change goals.
A community of practice is a group of people who share a collective overall view of an issue and bring their individual perspectives on problems to create a social learning system that goes beyond the sum of its parts. TEEM provides hands-on support directly to member organizations in states across the U.S., while also building a community among these teams in which they can learn from and support one another across state lines.
The ultimate goal of TEEM is to advance state and local level policies and programs that foster a more sustainable and just transportation system. With the networks built and lessons learned from across the country, we are developing a national agenda for equitable electric mobility.
OUR WORK
Advancing Mobility Equity
The TEEM Community of Practice activities and goals include:
- Advancing equity in all facets of this project by funding equity or environmental justice organizations in each participating state to build their capacity to participate in this project
- Building and expanding relationships within and across states through regular convenings and activities that are planned and facilitated by Greenlining, Forth, and Upright Consulting Services
- Participating in co-learning opportunities with experts in mobility equity, electric vehicles, policy advocacy, and campaign development and implementation (among many other topics)
- Receiving regular support and feedback on your organization’s policy advocacy efforts in the form of writing workshops, equity trainings, and other guided learning experiences
TEEM Cohort Participants
Colorado
Illinois
Michigan
North Carolina
Virginia
Email Isa Gaillard at isa.gaillard@greenlining.org for more information.
