Our Approach
Learning, unlearning, and everything in between
About our Facilitation and how we use our Policy Expertise
Facilitation
Through facilitation designed to reverse models that prioritize privileged and resourced voices, Common Spark supports conversations that elevate the perspectives of those most impacted by policy. From inclusive planning to thoughtful execution, we curate spaces designed to foster trust, partnership, and collaboration that result in outcomes that serve more of our communities.
Common Spark recognizes that the facilitator is a position of power and privilege. It is our duty and work to actively shift that power to the participants of the conversations we hold. By employing facilitation approaches that embrace all voices, and by holding ourselves and those we work with accountable to principles of equitable process, Common Spark commits itself to the cause of more inclusive meetings, convenings, and conversations.
Energy Policy Expertise
Common Spark’s energy policy experience extends across local, state, and national issues of energy efficiency, clean energy, electric and gas distribution infrastructure, resource planning, electrification and decarbonization, and rates and affordability. We are fluent in regulatory, legislative, and agency advocacy.
We use our energy expertise to elevate marginalized perspectives in policymaking, to pursue questions historically overlooked, and to translate insight from stakeholders into creative and equitable solutions for advancing a clean energy future.
Common Spark recognizes the issue of energy is deeply personal and as such, energy policy should be guided by the experience of those most impacted. The best policy is informed by all types of expertise. We strive to shift the playing field by inviting and recognizing forms of knowledge that have been historically excluded and marginalized.
About our pursuit of just outcomes
Individual Responsibility in an Unjust System
Common Spark recognizes that the energy system itself is unjust, that current processes have not and do not produce policy that support community priorities, and that the impacts of the energy system and policies disproportionately harm and burden low-income and BIPOC communities.
We see everything–infrastructure decisions and the centralized construction of the energy system and power generation, to rate structures and utility program models–as manifestations of a system with exclusionary processes that supports those with power and privilege. This results in an energy system that has historically and continues to disproportionately harm communities of color, underinvested communities, and otherwise marginalized groups.
While a system is larger than any single person, we acknowledge that a system is built only by individuals. Change can and must begin with us as individuals, as well. Justice requires both personal and systematic transformation. If we are not part of a solution, we only exacerbate the problem.
Reparative Intention
We are committed to advancing just outcomes through our work. We seeking a more equitable future that recognizes and addresses wrongs of the past.
We hold our partners to a standard of recognition of energy injustice and a commitment to learning and acting to reverse inequities. We provide honest feedback and guidance about partners’ approaches to research work, policy development, and stakeholder engagement. We do our best to share concrete examples of what we see helping or hindering important trust- and partnership-building. We uphold a vision of progressive advocacy that doesn't fall back on, or limit its scope or pace based on what institutions or incumbents of power think is reasonable, but that takes a reparatory approach to address the intertwined impacts of social, economic, educational, environmental injustices.
While we don’t require, we do encourage all who we work with to commit to some level of racial and social justice training. Having common language allows us to grow and work better together.
What we mean by…
Communities. We use communities in the broadest sense, considering communities of geography, identity, interest, or other commonality. In our work, we seek to prioritize members of communities most impacted by policies and the energy system – who are most often from low-income and Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) communities. At times, we may refer to certain types of communities, including pre-delineated categories such as Disadvantaged Communities or Environmental and Social Justice Communities, but we also mean to be inclusive of and defer to how any other individuals or communities self-identify as part of a current or historically marginalized, underinvested, excluded, or burdened group. We are support the use of data and tools like CalEnviroScreen insofar that it helps illuminate and prioritize the different ways communities and individuals may be impacted.
Inclusion. Fostering a sense of belonging by centering, valuing, and amplifying the voices, perspectives, and styles of those who experience more barriers based on their identities. (JEDI Collaborative)
Principles of Equitable Process. In our work at Common Spark, we regularly reference the Jemez Principles of Democratic Organizing and do our own work to translate that into our facilitation practices and approaches.
Equity. Equity means recognizing that we do not all start from the same place and allocating resources to ensure everyone has access to the same opportunities. Equity recognizes and seeks to correct advantages and barriers due to ‘isms’. (From NACE and JEDI Collaborative)
Applied to energy and climate, this means recognizing that not all have the means to thrive under our current energy system or be protected or defended against climate change impacts, and advocating for allocating resources to those who face greater barriers and risk.
Justice. Dismantling barriers to resources and opportunities so all individuals and communities can live a full and dignified life. (JEDI Collaborative)
Applied to energy and climate, this means removing the policies, institutions, and practices that hinder the ability of all people and communities to thrive in our current energy system and protect, defend, and mitigate climate impacts.
Applied to race, this means removing the policies, institutions, and practices that have sought to remove power from and hinder the ability of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) to pursue and achieve their own futures.
Diversity. Valuing and embracing the uniqueness of individuals, thoughts, characteristics, lived experiences, and any other dimension that makes a group or person unique from one another.
Power. Having the influence, control, or persuasion to define an outcome or process; having the privilege to safely access spaces and resources; having the ability to take or give power away from another.