Rukia Abdi
Q: What does Cooperative Energy Futures (CEF) do?
The center of CEF’s work is to give power back to the communities that are burdened with high energy bills and don’t think they have options other than their usual energy provider. CEF is redefining how low-income communities use energy — not just as consumers but as renewable energy providers and co-op members. They have a say in how the organization functions and who benefits from the energy system.
When I am in the community, I ask people what their relationship is with their current energy provider and what they would do to make it better. They often complain about how high their electricity cost has been. I tell them that CEF is a member organization that enables them to make their own clean energy and lower their energy bill. A lot of our focus is on low-income communities, because they face the greatest energy burden.
The biggest misconception I hear in…
