EO Blog

In September, EO earned a valuable source of support for its work on natural gas development in the U.S. in the form of a $25,000 grant from responsible energy retailer Viridian Energy. As a recipient of Viridian’s Simply Right Natural Gas Fund, EO is honored to join a group of organizations dedicated to clear and pragmatic approaches to improving social and environmental practices in natural gas development.

“The world has changed: corporate executives in the energy industry now know that community buy-in is critical to the life and success of development projects,” EO President and Co-Founder explained to an energetic audience at Lincoln Startup Week in Lincoln, Nebraska last week.

In September of last year, EO announced a major milestone: the first-ever certification of an energy development site under the EO100 Standard.

Dennis Bodenchuk is the Geology Branch Chief at the Division of Energy and Mineral Development within the U.S. Department of Interior (DOI) Office of Indian Energy and Economic development in Denver, Colorado. A trained geologist with over 30 years of experience in energy development in the United States, Mr. Bodenchuk supervises the Division’s work to assist Tribes and Allottees in the responsible development of their energy and mineral resources.

Equitable Origin marked an exciting milestone in the organization’s growth today with the announcement that it has received a $25,000 grant from Viridian Energy to expand its work on standards for responsible natural gas development.

Climate change is the most urgent challenge facing modern civilization. Since the vast majority of climate-altering greenhouse gas emissions come from energy—specifically burning fossil fuels for transportation and electricity generation—shifting to low- and no-carbon renewable energy sources is a crucial strategy to curb climate change and avoid global catastrophe.

If you or someone you know are interested in joining our New York City team, now’s your chance!

We are currently hiring a Program Coordinator to support a variety of Equitable Origin systems and activities.

EO’s model for responsible energy production and our work with communities and companies, particularly in Latin America, has led to increasing recognition from various academics. Our pioneering work in the Amazon Basin during the organization’s early years offers unique insights and lessons for academics and researchers interested in local communities’ experiences with extractive industries in the region.

Since the release of our draft standards for shale development, we have been focusing a lot of our attention on fracking. As we review and refine the draft standards, we at Equitable Origin want to know: what are the most pressing public health and environmental risks posed by fracking operations, according to the latest scientific research? What are the best practices industry can use to minimize those risks?

In late May of this year, two members of the EO team traveled to Puyo, Ecuador and led a stakeholder engagement workshop with members of the indigenous people’s organization Comuna San Jacinto del Pindo de Pastaza. Senior Advisor, Rene Ortiz and Director of Socio-environmental Affairs, Pablo Yépez represented EO at the workshop, which also included technical staff for the indigenous organization along with the group’s president, Gina Tibi.