An interview with Sonja Ebron of blackEnergy
by: Brianca M. Climons for AboutBlackBoston.com

Sonja Ebron is a social entrepreneur and blackEnergy's chief executive. blackEnergy is a national distributor of energy conservation products and an organizer of energy buying groups that help people use their utility bills to support Black communities. Sonja is a PhD electrical engineer and former college professor with a background in utilities. Ms. Magazine recently labeled Sonja a change agent for "the belief that environmental and social consciousness can create satisfaction in the soul and the wallet." Sonja is the recipient of the Atlanta Business League's 2007 Super Tuesday Award for Non-Traditional Business, and she was named a 2008 SuperWoman by the Atlanta Tribune. She is a Senior Fellow of the Environmental Leadership Program and a member of Engineers Without Borders (EWB-USA).

 ABB: As informative as your website is and the video was at explaining exactly what your company does, can you please elaborate on how a person's utility bill can help their community?

SE: On behalf of our customers, blackEnergy negotiates with energy suppliers for discount utility rates and contributions to community organizations. Our customers get lower rates than they would find on their own, and the supplier donates a small portion of each bill to a nonprofit organization the customer chooses. This free service leverages the purchasing power of our customers by saving them money directly and by supporting organizations that do good work in Black communities.

 ABB: What led you to where you are now professionally with your company, what were the motivating factors and the "aha" moment to developing BlackEngery?

SE: The California power crisis of 2000-2001 was a wake-up call for me. You may remember that the three largest utilities in the state were threatened with bankruptcy because large producers were gaming the system. I saw the crisis as resulting from a bad deregulation law, and I realized that vulnerable populations would be threatened as deregulated energy moved across the country. We saw an opportunity to educate small consumers and to help them use cooperative economics to get a fair shake in those markets.

 ABB: What are you goals for the program in the future? Are you hoping for a national presence? And if so, what are you next steps towards that goal?
 
SE: We’ve found that wherever utilities are deregulated, small consumers see their rates rise dramatically. This has a disproportionate impact on African Americans, who generally have higher energy usage and lower household budgets.

At the same time, climate change and the efforts to address it also have a harsher impact on African American households. The problems we’re confronting in Georgia are found wherever people have “choice” in their energy supplies, so we have national aspirations. We see opportunities to serve communities in New York and the mid-Atlantic states, and we’re working to bring our services to those markets in the next 2-3 years.

ABB: What can people in Boston do to help in the direction that blackEnergy is going? And if the program is not available here, what are the steps your recommend to helping out with your cause?  
 
SE: We think of energy from both the supply side and the demand side. For us, efficiency is just another energy source. We encourage those in cities where our utility programs are unavailable to check out our energy efficiency products at www.blackenergy.com. You’ll find energy-saving light bulbs, weatherization materials, appliances and many other products to help you lower your utility bills.

For more information on blackEnergy and how you can get involved and/or participate, please visit their website at www.blackenergy.com.

aboutblackboston.com / 617-417-7456