Equity & Access
Our Equity & Access program is built to help advance innovation in the homes, workplaces and neighborhoods that make up our communities.
About Our Work
Elemental is deeply committed to truly equitable climate action.
Climate change is inextricably linked with the compounding injustices of poverty, racism and displacement. But with new technologies and guided by collaborative, community-centric approaches, we can turn the tide on climate change and social inequity — together.
Here you can find tools and resources to center social equity at the heart of every climate technology deployment. Through learning, implementing and iterating on these approaches, we work to provide meaningful answers to real problems so communities everywhere thrive into the future.
Equity In/Equity Out
is the approach Elemental takes to “Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging”
This framework, inspired by and made in partnership with the Greenlining Institute and Emerson Collective, describes our philosophy that a company’s internal policies and practices reflect how it relates to its surrounding community, customers and stakeholders.
We bring a decade plus of investing, and have found that companies that center equity in their cultures, products and deployments not only thrive by attracting top talent and accessing a wider customer base, but are more successful in their climate impact.
Centering Equity
Donnel Baird
“People view what's happening in communities of color and low-income communities as kind of like a side thing that we should do after we solve the real problem. But communities of color and low-income communities — that is the whole ballgame moving forward. The only path to greenhouse gas reduction at scale in the United States is through massive green infrastructure investments in these communities.”
Steph Speirs
“We're working to create a world where opportunity is universal and where the circumstances you were born into do not determine your livelihood, income and job opportunities. We're also trying to create a world where everyone can get solar power, regardless of the income they have and regardless of what type of roof they have. I think Elemental will be a really big part in how we get there.”
Cameron Knox
“When our Australia-based company set out to build a U.S. presence, we knew we had to take great care to make sure our first hire set the tone for the expansion. We have the world’s only hardware for sharing rooftop solar to apartments and we set our sights on frontline communities in South L.A. Our first hire had to understand the local context, be sensitive to the needs of community members, and have knowledge of the barriers community members face to accessing clean energy.”
Square Partnerships
is a model for more equitable technology deployments
Too often in technology deployments, community voices are sidelined or ignored.
The Square Partnerships Model is built upon the conviction that innovation succeeds best when it engages the community early and often. This capacity, when honed early, will contribute to long-term success and can help advance innovation that creates mutual benefit for all partners involved.
Career Pathways
is developing a vibrant and diverse workforce for the climate sector
To build a more inclusive and thriving economy, we need to ensure aspiring leaders from all backgrounds with every skill set can join in the vital work of addressing climate change.
Elemental’s internship programs and educational initiatives include EDICT, which creates a diverse pipeline of talent and helps employers create inclusive cultures, and Root for Innovation, which provides immersive experiential learning experiences for Hawaiʻi-based educators and students.
