At the end of June 2024, the SBC Climate & Energy team attended the 15th Annual California Climate and Energy Collaborative (CCEC) Forum. This conference brings together local governments, community organizations, tribes, and consulting firms working on energy efficiency, building decarbonization, and climate action planning. This year’s conference theme was “Collective Innovation: Cultivating Collaboration for Equitable Climate Action”. 

The Climate & Energy team attended a wide array of sessions from learning technical information about heat pumps, outreach and marketing tips for residential building electrification efforts, and lessons learned from existing contractor development programs. Upon return from the conference, the team debriefed to share the learnings that resonated. Among these included: 

1. Accessible language is critical in energy work where residents and building owners typically aren’t energy experts. Simply replacing the phrases “building decarbonization” or “electrification” with “all-electric buildings/homes/appliances” can increase reach and understanding among residents, and can be translated into Spanish (there is no equivalent translation of “decarbonization”!). 
2. Despite many conference speakers providing perspectives from urban areas of California, the team noticed an increase in discussion around the various and abundant barriers faced by rural communities. This reminded us how important it is to represent the Sierra Nevada at statewide forums! 
3. There are communities across California that are farther along in the all-electric transition than the Sierra Nevada–we can use them as resources to guide us and learn from their mistakes. 

Much of our technical learnings will inform ongoing projects like the Building Decarbonization Contractor Training program, the Nevada County Climate Action and Adaptation Plan, the Climate Transformation Alliance, and the Sierra Nevada Energy Watch program; and will help the team develop new projects like the Residential Electrification Coaching program and the Rural Regional Energy Network. Our team is grateful for opportunities to learn, network, and have a little fun at the CCEC Forum!