The Western Queens community was recently invited to join a community conversation hosted by Rise Light & Power and the Attentive Energy One offshore wind project, in partnership with the Jacob A. Riis Neighborhood Settlement and Urban Upbound. As part of the ambitious Renewable Ravenswood vision, this project aims to transition New York City’s largest power plant to a hub of clean energy. The forum offered a unique opportunity for the Western Queens community to envision a brighter, cleaner future. With over 200 residents in attendance, the event served as a testament to the community’s excitement and determination to be active participants in shaping the future of Western Queens.

• Attendees had the opportunity to explore informational displays, learn about how offshore wind energy works, engage in small group discussions, and provide feedback on various aspects of the project through creative activities.
• Community members expressed optimism about public health benefits, career and training opportunities, and infrastructure improvements in the local community.
• Representatives from community-based and citywide organizations, as well as elected officials’ offices, joined the conversation.
• Attendees also had multiple opportunities to share their views and questions, including digital and hardcopy surveys, group activities, and direct feedback to project team members.

Hester Street Collaborative, an urban planning, design, and development nonprofit that works to ensure neighborhoods are shaped by the people who live in them, worked with Rise Light & Power and Attentive Energy One to coordinate a highly interactive and inclusive public engagement forum. Executive Director, Eva Neubauer Alligood, said:

“Hester Street is proud to work with Rise Light & Power and Attentive Energy to thoughtfully engage those most directly impacted by environmental injustice and climate change in the transformation of the Ravenswood Generating Station. Hester Street is committed to ensuring that low-income communities and communities of color benefit from this landmark project. Across the city, and especially in Western Queens, low-income communities and communities of color suffer from higher rates of asthma, hotter summer temperatures, and more frequent and severe flooding as a result of climate change. These communities must lead the way towards the clean energy future that Renewable Ravenswood is helping to build.”

With this in mind, this community open house was, and future events will be, highly interactive and inclusive, with various activities and illustrative boards to guide the discussion and encourage active conversation directly with project team members. Activities included scenario-based decision-making exercises, and helping participants understand the complexities of the renewable energy transformation while contributing their insights and concerns.

The illustrative boards showed visual representations of the project’s technical components, community benefits, workforce development and job creation, and more. These visual aids sparked meaningful conversations and allowed community members to envision the tangible benefits of the Renewable Ravenswood vision and the Attentive Energy One project.

By incorporating interactive elements into the community forum, residents were able to ask questions, voice their opinions, and contribute to the decision-making process. Here’s just a sample of what local residents had to say:

• “I’m excited that [Rise Light & Power and Attentive Energy] involved the community in their proposals and ideas for better air.”
• “I’m excited that my children might have a clean world to live in.”
• “I want to know how else I can help making sure we have clean air.”
• “We have high rates of asthma and need clean air. There are lots of children who suffer.”
• “I’m excited this project has a purpose. Our children need clean air.”
• “Planning, collaborating, and mobilization are our focuses – we need to get people resources – and we need to get buy-in from the government to be able to do that.”

Future Attentive Energy One community conversations are slated for summer 2023 around Western Queens and New York City. For more details, check back at https://www.attentiveenergy.com/attentiveenergyone