Promoting Equity in Transition to EVs

 
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April 2021

Better World Group was proud to partner with Veloz, a non-profit dedicated to educating the public about the benefits of electric cars in their 2021 Electric for All marketing campaign.

The campaign featured local environmental justice heroes from across the state who have been advocates for their local communities alongside actor/activists and “superheroes” Mark Ruffalo and Chloe Bennet in an animated digital advertising campaign. The ads premiered at the Clean Energy Virtual Inaugural Ball for President Biden. They specifically highlight diverse Californians to send a message that everyone can see themselves participating in the EV movement – from driving an EV car to using EV carshare programs to riding electric buses and scooters

Governor Gavin Newsom set an set an ambitious goal to make every new car sold in California a zero emission vehicle by 2035. That will only be possible if all Californians, including those from communities of color that now comprise a plurality of our state, can make the transition.

Meet the campaign’s heroes:

  •  Rey Leon is the mayor of Huron in California’s Central Valley. He is also the founder of Green Raiteros an EV ridesharing service that gives farmworkers affordable access to electric vehicles. The region is among the most polluted in the nation, and Rey is active in advocating for solutions that improve air quality for his community.

  • Mama Linda Cleveland and Miss Jackie Badejo are a mother-daughter duo who co-chair the Watts Clean Air and Energy Committee, an effort to ensure that investments for green infrastructure make it to Watts.  Their advocacy was critical in securing a state grant that will create Watts’ first EV carsharing program.

  • Favianna Rodriguez is an Oakland-based artist who uses her work to highlight environmental injustices that disproportionately affect the low-income communities of color that she calls home.

Better World Group served as the equity advisor for Veloz, recruiting the local heroes that put a real-life face to the importance of greening our transportation choices. We also helped Veloz create and record a Spanish-language version of the ad and assisted with pitching the campaign to reporters, leveraging the powerful stories of the campaign’s heroes to get coverage in places like ABC7 and KTLA in Los Angeles and ABC30 in Fresno.

The transition to an electric future is getting an infusion of attention from the Biden Administration proposed significant stimulus investments in electric vehicles and charging infrastructure.  Gov. Newsom has also recently called for investing $1.5 billion to speed up California’s move toward zero emission cars, buses and trucks, with a big focus on making it more financially beneficial for low-income Californians.

To learn more about Electric for All, please visit the campaign’s website.