 Jasmine spoke on a PathLight Law webinar panel about building and running charitable loan funds.
Jasmine joined Catherine Howard (Community Vision) and PathLight Law’s Brian Beckon for a webinar on how mission-driven organizations design and operate charitable loan funds. Drawing on MHET’s Home Energy Loan Program, Jasmine shared practical lessons on structuring a fund that expands access to affordable financing while staying rooted in community accountability.  Mid-Hudson Energy Transition (MHET) Executive Director Jasmine Graham stopped by Radio Kingston Afternoons with Jami Smith to share how sustainability and affordability go hand in hand. In the interview, Jasmine spoke about how MHET helps low- and middle-income families cut their energy bills through community solar, home upgrade grants, and free appliance upgrades.
Listen to the full recording on Radio Kingston.  Jasmine presented at the 18th Zero Carbon Retreat on the lessons learned after years building a model of equitable electrification at Mid-Hudson Energy Transition.
Watch the recording here.  Jasmine hosted a webinar to walk through Mid-Hudson Energy Transition's holistic approach to equitable decarbonization.
Watch the recording here.  Jasmine presented on how to make ambitious projects a reality, drawing on her experience from building Mid-Hudson Energy Transition and the lessons she's learned.
 Jasmine spoke as a panelist at NY Green Bank’s 2025 Climate Equity Roundtable.
 Jasmine was interviewed by Devin Thorpe for the Superpowers for Good show.
Jasmine discussed MHET’s Home Energy Loan Program (HELP) and its investor model — including how the HELP Fund lets accredited and non-accredited investors alike fund electrification retrofits for low-income households — and reflected on empathy as the driving force behind her leadership. Watch the episode here.  Jasmine delivered the opening keynote at the Vassar Institute’s inaugural Signature Program.
Jasmine’s keynote opened the three-day EcoVisions conference, focused on equity and justice considerations in building decarbonization and community-wide energy transitions. She spoke about the disproportionate burden of climate change on low-income communities and communities of color, and the importance of designing programs that address underlying home health hazards before residents can benefit from new energy technology. She then joined a panel discussion on advances and challenges in decarbonization with fellow speakers from Kelvin, LTL Architects, and Sustainable Westchester. Read Vassar’s recap here.  Jasmine was a panelist on “Opportunities in Energy” at the Nest Summit’s Green Jobs Pavilion during NYC Climate Week.
The panel explored trends, policies, and innovations in the energy sector, offering advice and inspiration for overcoming common challenges facing the industry.  Jasmine presented “Equitable Decarbonization in Practice,” walking through how MHET finances electrification retrofits for low-income households through the Home Upgrade Grants (HUG) Program and the then-upcoming Home Energy Loan Program (HELP).
Watch the presentation here.  On Thursday March 28th, Harvard students and alumni heard from Jasmine Graham, Executive Director of Mid-Hudson Energy Transition, Crystal Johnson, Assistant Secretary of Environmental Justice, MA Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, and Oleander Stone, Deputy Director of Climate Equity and Environmental Justice on careers in environmental justice, and Shamar A. Bibbins, MC/MPA student at the Harvard Kennedy School and Senior Program Office for the Environment Program at the Kresge Foundation.
Watch the recording here.  Jasmine Graham spoke with Kiana Michaan about energy justice on the inaugural episode of Climate with Kiana.
In this episode, Jasmine Graham, the executive director of Mid-Hudson Energy Transition, shares their perspective on energy justice, energy democracy, and just transition. We talked about the historical role of policy on energy systems and the importance of equitable energy solutions. Jasmine shared experiences and insights from their career journey working on clean energy in New York State and what brings them inspiration, hope, and joy. Jasmine Graham spoke at the Third Thursdays series about community choice aggregation.
 The federal government has prioritized community engagement and partnership as an essential part of Justice40, and many IRA funding opportunities highlight centering communities in the development and implementation of programs. What does authentic, inclusive, and meaningful community engagement look like? We’ll examine equitable community empowerment and highlight tools like the community engagement spectrum and resources from EPA, DOE, and others. These case studies will highlight successes - and missteps - in engaging with communities beyond "checking the box" and help states, communities, and their partners to develop energy plans, decarbonization strategies, and program proposals.
Facilitator:
See more here. Jasmine Graham spoke to Bard College's Masters in Environmental Policy (MEP) students about New York's Climate Act.
Graham examines New York’s Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA) justice provisions around disadvantaged communities and equity frameworks. Jasmine also discussed avenues of participation for policymakers, as well as current policy proposals and New York State initiatives The conversation on energy justice centered around four pillars: Equity, Affordability, Access and Participation. “You want to have equity in the distribution of benefits and burdens. You want to have affordability of energy costs. You want to have access to opportunities and technologies, and you want to make sure that communities have participation in decision making. Those paired with some of the long-standing kind of environmental justice principles are the values that folks should be using when designing good policy. But, it's not that simple.” The discussion also highlights the need to move beyond simply seeking access and affordability and towards a framework of ownership, self-determination, and reparations for past harm: “We do want to access, and that is a fair way to characterize it. But we also want ownership. We don't just want access to community solar. We don't want just a 10% bill discount. We want to own our own solar. We don't want to just participate in the existing processes, we want self determination [...] We don't want just an energy bill that is manageable. We actually want reparations. We want repair for the harm that has been done, and through the line of all of this is that we want equity, and in wanting equity you need to take into account the harm of the past.” Graham left Bard students with many takeaways: the importance of stakeholder engagement with community members may very well have been one of the most important: “Ultimately we want to get to this place where we are actually deferring to the communities where we're going beyond inserting ourselves and where these communities are able to self-govern, where they can have community driven, decision making, and where they are empowered to represent themselves.” Watch the full video here. Jasmine Graham spoke at the 2022 Alliance for Clean Energy (ACE NY) conference.
How Can We Energize Building Efficiency & Decarbonization to Meet the Climate Law?
Jasmine gave a 30-minute presentation on "Energy Justice Considerations in Decarbonization Policy."
In April 2019, New York City enacted the Climate Mobilization Act. The Act’s centerpiece is Local Law 97 (LL97), first-of-its-kind legislation that places limits on GHG emissions from large buildings starting in 2024 and tightening over time, with significant annual fines for noncompliance. The law set clear requirements for the first compliance period (2024-2029), but many crucial details are still in development for later periods starting in 2030. This session will explore progress, challenges and opportunities with leading NYC experts at the center of LL97 implementation.
Facilitator:
Jasmine Graham was invited to speak to an undergraduate Energy Policy class at Purchase College in New York.
 Jasmine Graham spoke at Columbia University's Environmental Justice Summit.
 Jasmine Graham spoke at the Let's Talk Democracy's Virtual Forum.
Speakers:
Katrina Wyman (Introductory Remarks), Sarah Herring Sorin Professor of Law, New York University School of Law Katie Bergfeld, Branch Chief, Building Performance & Enforcement, Data & Benchmarking Division, Department of Energy & Environment Mark Chambers, Senior Director for Building Emissions and Community Resilience, Council on Environmental Quality, Executive Office of the President Jasmine Graham, Energy Justice Policy Manager, WE ACT for Environmental Justice Frank Oswald, Building Commissioner, City of St. Louis, Missouri Ben Silverman, Manager, Policy Design and Implementation, Institute for Market Transformation Marc Zuluaga, Co-CEO & Co-Founder, Cadence OneFive Danielle Spiegel-Feld (Moderator), Executive Director, Frank J. Guarini Center on Environmental, Energy and Land Use Law |
AuthorJasmine Graham is an energy justice expert, environmental policy analyst, and social justice advocate. Archives
September 2026
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