ComEd’s Community of The Future initiative shares its latest project to support Bronzeville's journey toward sustainability and resiliency – this time targeting some of the neighborhood's youngest residents.

In a new program, Climate Futures, ComEd will host design workshops that teach middle and high school aged youth about climate change and some of the advanced energy technologies that ComEd has deployed in their community. Thirty recruited students will get to share their perspective on what they want their neighborhood to look like in the future while designing artifacts related to mitigating climate change.

Emily Kean, manager of the Community of the Future program on the Smart Grid team, said the upcoming project will continue important work within their service area.

“I think we're also just continuing to make sure that we are planning meaningful projects as a part of the program and demonstrating the advanced technology that we're hoping to demonstrate and doing so in partnership with community organizations,” she said.

Although Climate Futures will be the latest educational program a part of the green initiative, this is not their only program educating Bronzville’s youth. In 2018 ComEd teamed up with a school in Bronzeville, Dunbar Vocational Career Academy High School, to launch a STEM program called the Energy Academy.

Similar to Climate Future, Energy Academy teaches high schoolers about climate change, impacts of climate change and how different technologies could benefit areas during the current drastic weather changes. Kean said the STEM program is “an opportunity to engage students meaningfully.”

She later added, “And hopefully [Energy Academy] sparks their interest in really generating the next set of STEM professionals.”

The idea for the Community of the Future initiative developed out of a 2016 flagship project called Bronzeville Community Microgrid. The goal of that project was to install within the Bronzeville area microgrid or electrical boundaries that can connect or disconnect from the power grid. In the case of extreme weather this microgrid technology can go into “island mode” operating on its own even after being disconnected from other grids.

An example of how the microgrid in Bronzeville can operate on their own. Photo courtesy ComED.

After that project, ComEd in collaboration with neighborhood organizations decided to launch the Community of the Future initiative to find other ways they could come together to continue to make Bronzeville greener.

Since garnering support through local partnerships and grants from the Department of Energy, ComEd has been able to deploy advanced technologies. Before they had to postpone the program because of the pandemic, in collaboration with Innova, the initiative ran the Dash EV pilot program, an electric car service for Bronzeville seniors.

Last year, the company installed two new smart kiosks or interactive screens in the public area. And currently, in collaboration with Aris Renewable Energy, Chicago Housing Authority, and Chicago Public Schools, Community of the Future is expanding their Aris off-grid street lighting which would provide underlit and underserved areas with lighting that is independent of public utilities.

Additionally, The electric provider is also using art as another tool to help spread awareness in the community. Last year, during the pandemic, ComEd, Gallery Guichard, South Side Community Art Center, Little Black Pearl and local Bronzeville artists successfully created and installed the Bronzeville Renaissance Mural.

A picture of the Bronzeville Renaissance Mural. Photo Courtesy of ComED.

Andre Guichard, an art consultant for the Bronzeville Renaissance Mural, said the partnership on the mural did not surprise him because ComEd is constantly involved in community projects. Guichard, who has also collaborated with the company on other art projects like the Great Migration Sculpture Garden, shared as a Bronzeville resident, he would like ComEd’s actions to leave an impact on other large corporations.

“I hope they create a trend, where more corporations see the value of investing in communities, particularly communities like ours that are traditionally underrepresented when it comes to public art,” He said, “if five corporations came on board and follow ComEds lead, we could change visually, the look and feel of a community which could also increase tourism.”

The co-owner of the Guichard Gallery, where the mural was constructed, also spoke about the impact of the Community of the Future initiative.

“When you think about the future of urban areas, particularly Bronzeville and the South Side, the implementation of art into these spaces has a powerful effect on the young people in the community at large, because so many people don't leave the neighborhood, and they don't get an opportunity to go to museums, and many of us could not go to museums if we wanted to, because of COVID. So the art has become a part of wellness.”

Frances Guichard, an artist and co-founder of Guichard Gallery, added that one of her favorite parts of the process was the installation of the mural. She shared that the collaborative mural that can also be seen through their virtual exhibition has created a sense of pride.

“To see the young people who were walking up and down the street come over and ask questions. You know, they were so inquisitive about each of the pieces, and even the process,” she said.

Photo of Frances (Left) and Andre (Right) Guichard, co-founders of Gallery Guichard. Photo Courtesy the Gallery Guichard website.

Partnership on the mural is only some of the work that the Community of The Future initiative has done during the pandemic. As part of their COVID- 19 response, ComEd hopes to continue to make sure their advanced technology is reliable while continuing their STEM and education programs virtually. They also worked with the alderman to share COVID-19 information on the smart kiosks.

If you would like to learn more about Community of the Future visit https://poweringlives.comed.com/

How ComEd’s Initiative helps to brighten Bronzeville’s future