FY 2021 Sustainability Report
Community Engagement
Environment
Social
Governance
JANICE HORN Janice Horn is passionate about helping others. As TVA’s senior program manager of Environmental Justice, she wants people to know that every voice matters — and TVA is listening.
In 2021, we distributed 1 million meals to families in need through our partnership with Feeding America, and we collected 3,500 pounds of food for people at the holidays. We contributed $800,000 in grants to STEM educators in partnership with Bicentennial Volunteers Incorporated, and we donated $100,000 to those impacted Donated to Tenn. Valley Schools by the Nashville bombing.
$800,000
A chemical engineer with a robust resume, Horn has been a TVA employee for 16 years and in her new role since September 2021.
in STEM Grants
Under her leadership, TVA’s Environmental Justice work is becoming more structured to align with Biden administration Executive Orders directing federal agencies to address disproportionate health, environmental, economic and climate impacts on
UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES We have created programs to assist consumers in underserved communities and those struggling with a high energy burden. Energy programs such as Home Uplift and School Uplift fall under our broader Environmental Justice initiative.
during the 2022-23 school year. On average, participating schools saved nearly 15% on their annual energy bills that can be reinvested in educating students.
TVA partners with over 50 local power companies to provide the Home Uplift program to qualified low-income residents who live in homes in need of energy upgrades to lower energy bills and increase comfort. Each year, additional local power companies enroll in the program and expand the program’s reach across the Valley. More than 2,700 homes have been upgraded so far, with about 750 families positively impacted in 2021 alone.
Community Centered Growth (CCG) is a targeted pilot offering intended to bring communities together by improving relationships, attracting sustainable businesses and stimulating existing small businesses. CCG partners with local power companies to target economically distressed, community-based small businesses in need of energy upgrades that result in lower energy bills and higher profit margins. TVA upgrades these technologies free of charge to the businesses up to a specified budget amount. The most common energy upgrades are indoor lighting, security lighting, HVAC and kitchen equipment.
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Economic Impact
TVA EMPLOYEE HIGHLIGHT:
Community engagement is an important part of our mission to make life better for people in the region. TVA recently shifted to a regional model that divides our service area into four quadrants (North, South, East and West). The change is helping us better identify local community needs and align our priorities and resources to match those needs.
Launched in 2020, School Uplift is a 12-month training program that uses behavior-based techniques to help public schools make smart energy choices that improve the classroom learning environment and save money through decreased energy use. We are investing more than $7 million in public K-12 schools over the three-year pilot. We have helped a total of 60 schools during the first two years of School Uplift, with a target of reaching an additional 100 schools
Aspiration
Introduction
disadvantaged communities. TVA has established a multidisciplinary core team that is creating a framework for how TVA will identify disadvantaged communities and their needs; improve our communication and services; and plan strategically so we consider our impact on communities when we make operational decisions. “Environmental justice and equity go hand-in-hand,” Horn says. Disadvantaged communities face challenges of poverty — from high unemployment rates; to energy, food and transportation insecurity; to lack of access to phone and Internet services. “TVA is a service organization, and together with our partners, we work to improve the quality of life for all people in the Valley,” Horn says. “It’s not often that people get to say they are passionate about their work, but I really am passionate about my work. I believe in TVA.”
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