Welcome to Evergreen’s Power Surge! We made this bulletin because we believe you shouldn’t have to choose between keeping up with the news and your well-being. Here’s our latest round-up of the climate and clean energy news we're following—including short summaries and why we think they matter—and positive stories to keep us all hopeful in this fight.
(⚡Today’s voltage: 462 words)

🔌 News We’re Plugged Into

State Building Codes: A Key to Cutting Pollution, Lowering Bills

In the absence of federal climate leadership, states have the unique power to take action to cut pollution, save families hundreds of dollars on their energy bills, and support cleaner, more affordable, and more resilient homes. The solution? The straightforward, state-specific process of updating building codes.

On the surface, it might not sound like much, but these codes are crucial, as they set the bar for energy efficiency standards in new buildings, covering everything from air leakage to heating/cooling systems to lighting.

But for residents to benefit, states need to adopt these standards first—and many states are decades behind.

Michigan is the latest savvy state to take advantage of this tool. Thanks to updated codes, new homes will be 32 percent more energy efficient in the first year alone, households will save an estimated $7.2 million in energy costs, and nearly 45K metric tons of carbon dioxide will no longer be pumped into our atmosphere.

Why this matters—Families are facing high energy costs, and updating building codes is a commonsense, ready-to-go solution for states to deliver for their residents. Many states have yet to take advantage of this low-hanging opportunity, and states that haven’t kept up stand to gain the most from upgrading, potentially ushering in a windfall of cost savings and pollution reductions.

Amp up your knowledge:

• Evergreen Action: Why Are Several States Leaving Energy and Housing Savings on the Table?

• WLEN Radio: Michigan Adopts Energy-Saving Building Codes

• NRDC: Outdated Building Codes are Costly and Dangerous

💪 Empowering Headlines

• Vox: 10 charts prove that clean energy is winning — even in the Trump era

• Canary Media: Community solar is winning over Republican lawmakers around the US

• Yale Climate Connections: Clean energy is powering local economies in Texas

• Canary Media: Chicago Teachers Union secures clean energy wins in new contract

• Vox: 5 ways we’re making progress on climate change

• MLive: ‘We are not going to back down’: Whitmer defends climate action amid Trump attacks

• POLITICO: Congestion pricing lives

• Inside Climate News: ‘We Are Nature’: Indigenous Women Come Together at the United Nations

• TribLive: Pa. must lead on renewable energy

• Grist: Why Trump can't stop states from fighting climate change

🎧 Watts On Our Playlist

What the Climate Movement Can Learn from the Music Industry

This podcast is an oldie but a goodie—a timely guide to transforming climate anxiety into action. In this episode, Dr. Katharine Wilkinson speaks to Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson about her book “What If We Get It Right, Visions of Climate Futures,” the importance of envisioning the future we all deserve, and taking the necessary steps to secure it.

• Tune in to Ologies: Climate Fervorology

✨ Sparking Joy

☝️ One last thing…

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