My name is Nicholas Jansen and I’m proud to introduce myself as Groundwork’s new Rural Clean Energy Organizer. I’m very excited to be joining the GW team because I believe that in order to weather the storms to come, we need connected, healthy communities, and Groundwork is where I hope to help make that happen.
An important part of the journey that led me here happened back in 2018, when there was a proposed natural gas plant to be built right in my family’s and neighbors’ backyards. I was devastated. I grew up walking those woods with my dog, listening to the frogs in the spring, picking wild berries all summer, enjoying the colorful leaves in the fall, and appreciating the stillness in the winter. It’s where I go to find peace. I’ll then never forget the dread I felt, sitting heavy in my gut, knowing that all of this could be gone if this power plant gets built.
Fortunately, others in my rural community felt the same, and soon, “Keep Rives Rural” was born. Over the course of the next two years, I saw my community come together to stop this proposed gas plant. We made calls to our leaders, showed up and shared our stories at public meetings and talked to our neighbors. We came together to let our voices be heard—and our leaders listened.
Now the plans are scrapped, and the woods that I walked in since I was a kid will stay the way I remember them. I share this experience because I know how important it is to rural communities to protect our homes and way of life.
Unfortunately, the climate crisis and our continued reliance on fossil fuels jeopardizes all of that. Just this year, we’ve seen the warmest January in Michigan on record. Ice coverage on the Great Lakes is at record lows, ski resorts are struggling, sled dog races were canceled, and fruit farmers are concerned about their trees budding too early and dying in a frost. We all are seeing the impacts of the climate crisis; we’re not spared up here in northern Michigan.
We can make a difference though. We may not be able to stop the climate crisis but we can all do our part to make our communities more resilient so we all stand a better chance of weathering the storms to come.
That’s why this year, I’m excited to help Groundwork to engage and educate candidates in the board of director races for the three rural electric cooperatives in northern Michigan: Cherryland Electric Coop, Great Lakes Energy, and Presque Isle Electric & Gas. These local energy providers play a key role in making critical energy choices for our region.
Want to learn more about our Rural Electric Cooperatives and how you can make an impact? Sign up for this educational webinar on May 24 at noon!
By making sure clean energy is a priority of these local utilities, we can start the crucial shift of our grid to cheaper, cleaner, local energy. This would not only decrease our reliance on fossil fuels, but also make our energy grid more resilient and secure, as well as help the local economy. We’ve seen many power outages from our major utilities over the past few years as they have failed to adapt to our new reality. We don’t have to meet the same fate here in northern Michigan. We have the opportunity to help our locally controlled utilities transition while we still have time. To do so, we have to make this year count.
One thing I want to let everyone know is no community will be left alone. The team at Groundwork and I are committed to making sure communities are informed and engaged when a project is proposed in their county. We know that the success of any project depends on the active engagement of potentially impacted residents, and I will be there to help provide resources, share information and provide clarification, to the best of my ability.
Let’s be clear, we already know that those opposed to these new clean energy projects are concerned about solar and wind taking away prime farmland and local control. That doesn’t mean they’re not on our side. I know what it’s like to have your home threatened and wanting what’s best for your community. I believe that desire to do what’s best for your family and neighbors is something we can all agree on. Starting with that shared value of helping our communities, I know we will be able to then break down false narratives and help people understand the importance of solar energy projects and that they can and do benefit farmers and our rural communities. We’ve seen across the nation that renewable infrastructure can be a crucial financial tool that enables farmers to stay profitable amid these challenging times.
This is going to be a wild year, for sure. That presents us with an opportunity though–an opportunity to be more powerful than those trying to divide us by coming together to strengthen our environment, our economy, and our communities. We cannot do that by ourselves. We need each and every one of us to ask ourselves how we want to be involved this year and take that step.
We all have stories of people and places that are important to us, and we also know that the climate crisis threatens all of it. I don’t have all the answers but being a part of the amazing team at Groundwork and knowing that I will be in this fight with every one of you, I can’t help but feel hopeful. 
I’d love to be able to meet you all virtually when I host this educational webinar on the importance of our Rural Electric Cooperatives on May 24! Sign up here!
Nicholas Jansen, Rural Clean Energy Organizer
nicholas.jansen@groundworkcenter.org
