Cheng Vang appointed to City of Saint Paul’s Climate Justice Advisory Board

Jan 22, 2021
Press Release
Cheng Vang

At its January 20 meeting, the Saint Paul City Council approved Mayor Melvin Carter’s appointment of Cheng Vang to the City’s newly formed Climate Justice Advisory Board. Vang is a training supervisor for residential field crews at the Center for Energy and Environment (CEE).
 
“The Climate Justice Advisory Board will focus on aligning Saint Paul’s climate action work with the needs and interests of our BIPOC and under-resourced communities, who bear the brunt of the impact of our changing climate,” said Chief Resilience Officer Russ Stark in a statement last summer. “We look forward to engaging with our community to help shape the policies and programs that will support our response to climate change.”
 
In 2010 Vang joined the Neighborhood Energy Connection, which merged in 2017 with CEE. As a residential energy specialist and field training supervisor, he trains the nonprofit’s team of energy auditors in building science. Vang is certified both as a residential energy auditor and as a Building Performance Institute Building Analyst Professional Test Proctor. 
 
Per its charter, the advisory board will advise the Mayor and City Council on the development of policies and programs related to the City's Climate Action and Resilience Plan. The advisory board will ensure that the costs and benefits of new programs in clean energy, energy efficiency, the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, and climate resilience and adaptation, are equitably distributed and address the challenges faced by our most vulnerable populations and neighborhoods.

“Ensuring the many voices of our community are heard in shaping our climate action and resilience work is vital,” said Mayor Carter in an August 2020 statement.
 
The advisory board will meet monthly, and members will serve two-year terms, with youth members serving one-year terms. In addition to Vang, other mayoral appointees to the 15-member advisory board are Adri Arquin, Kathleen Bacigalupi, Paul Barral, Marlon Batres, Robert Blake, Patty Born Selly, Dominique Diaddigo-Cash, Nick Martin, Louis Offstein, Kristen Poppleton, Audel Shokohzadeh, Alice Wagner-Hemstad, Janiece Watts, Melissa Wenzel, and May Yang-Lee.

 
About CEE

Center for Energy and Environment is a Minnesota 501(c)(3) clean energy nonprofit with special expertise in energy efficiency that stretches back 40 years. Working in homes, businesses, and communities, CEE discovers and deploys the most effective energy solutions to strengthen the economy and improve the environment. Online at mncee.org.
 

Media contact

Tim Hanrahan, 612-244-2419, thanrahan@mncee.org