Energy Democracy Action Toolkit
A Guide to Taking Back Power
Everyday, we see the realities of the fossil fuel economy: energy costs are spiraling out of control, extreme weather events occur with alarming frequency, power outages are a new normal, and toxic pollution from power plants threatens public health more than ever.
This is no accident. Power hungry corporations — the oil and gas industry, utility companies, AI data centers and others — have hijacked our government and are working to dismantle our democracy to ensure they won’t be accountable.
There is a way out of this cycle of corporate greed, pollution and corruption: it’s called Energy Democracy. We invite you to use our Energy Democracy Action Toolkit to learn how Energy Democracy can transform not only the kind of energy we use, but also who controls it and who benefits from it.
Sign up for your free toolkit to learn how Energy Democracy is transforming communities and how you can take back power!
Take Back Power
Sign Up for Your Free Energy Democracy Action Toolkit!
The Energy Democracy Action Toolkit is your guide for taking back power! Sign up for your free Ten Principles for Energy Democracy poster, PopEd Resources, State Action Toolkits, Advancing Energy Democracy Report and more.
While supplies last, we will send a free Ten Principles for Energy Democracy poster to your home! (Everyone who signs up will receive free digital access to all of the resources in this toolkit.)
Thank you for signing up!
You now have access to the Energy Democracy resources.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
TERMS OF USE: This work is free and available for you to use to spread a message of environmental justice. Please do not alter artwork in any way and or offer them for sale. Do not use or reprint the image in a publication or for commercial or institutional purposes without the permission of Center for Earth, Energy & Democracy (CEED).
Energy Democracy is a framework for transitioning beyond the current energy system, rooted in fossil fuels and corporate control, toward locally owned, community-managed resources.
Energy Democracy PopEd Resource
Our Energy Democracy PopEd Resource brings these principles to life through a fold out poster featuring new artworks inspired by each principle and the communities that shaped them. Sign up for your free toolkit, including the Ten Principles for Energy Democracy poster »
Our companion facilitation guides are designed to support organizations in hosting meaningful conversations around energy generation, its impacts on the earth, and the just possibilities that come with the democratization of energy.
Ten Principles for Energy Democracy Poster
Created through a series of interviews with environmental justice and indigenous groups in 2015, the Ten Principles for Energy Democracy weave together the collective wisdom of low-income, Black, Indigenous, and communities of color on the frontlines who are leading the fight for a just and equitable climate future.
Our Energy Democracy PopEd Resource brings these principles to life through a fold out poster featuring new artworks inspired by each principle and the communities that shaped them. Sign up for your free toolkit, including the Ten Principles for Energy Democracy poster »
Our companion facilitation guides are designed to support organizations in hosting meaningful conversations around energy generation, its impacts on the earth, and the just possibilities that come with the democratization of energy.
The Ten Principles for Energy Democracy were originally compiled by the
Center for Earth, Energy & Democracy (CEED) in collaboration with the Climate
Justice Alliance (CJA) in 2015.
Energy Democracy State Action Toolkits
Energy Democracy is more than a set of principles: we see it in action in environmental justice communities across the country. The powerful work led by environmental justice partners in New Jersey, Minnesota and Louisiana gives us a glimpse of the just climate futures that are possible when governments prioritize and fund our communities, not corporate polluters.
Louisiana
Minnesota
New Jersey
Each toolkit contains a state-specific PopEd Resource, Facilitation Guide, and Case Study.
Energy Democracy In Louisiana
New Orleans’ Distributed Energy Resource Program (2025)
Community concerns about reliability, affordability, environmental justice, and resilience have shaped the development of New Orleans’ energy policies, including a new program to build out resilient distributed energy resources.
Energy Democracy In Minnesota
Minnesota’s 100% Clean Electricity Law
In 2023, Minnesota passed an ambitious law (HF7) to provide 100% carbon-free electricity by 2040, including provisions to minimize impacts in environmental justice communities and to provide a just transition for the energy workforce.
Energy Democracy In New Jersey
Garden State Energy Storage Program
New Jersey launched the Garden State Energy Storage Program (GSESP) in 2025 to reduce peak demand and reliance on polluting “peaker plants,” improve energy affordability, and advance the state’s clean energy goals.
Report
Advancing Energy Democracy
Community-Driven Strategies for Taking Back Power
Created in collaboration with the Just Solutions Collective, our Advancing Energy Democracy report showcases clean energy policies championed by environmental justice groups in New Jersey, Louisiana and Minnesota. These real-world examples of Energy Democracy in action carry important lessons, and show a glimpse of what’s possible when we invest in community-led solutions.
