Learning from Lithium Valley

Join Smart Growth California in the next conversation of their rural funder series, Who Benefits from Community Benefits? Their last webinar took a deep dive into the offshore wind industry unfolding in Humboldt Bay and how funders are supporting residents to fight for community benefits. Next, they will look at lessons learned from lithium mining in the Salton Sea.

With the discovery of one of the world’s largest lithium deposits at the Salton Sea, the race is on to extract this crucial component of fueling the clean energy transition.

By 2026, energy companies are expected to begin geothermal mining to extract lithium. But concerns are mounting about the economic and environmental costs to Imperial Valley, a sparsely populated, economically stressed region that will be transformed with new roads, housing, infrastructure and jobs once extraction gets underway.

Childhood asthma in the region is already more than double the national average, linked to the toxic dust created as the Salton Sea recedes from lack of water. Then there’s the question of how, and whether, residents can benefit from the primary and spin-off industries that will be created due to lithium.

Participants will hear why Irvine, a California-based funder, recently doubled-down on capacity-building in Imperial Valley and how Waverley, which works internationally to ameliorate the impacts of mineral extraction, has committed to long-term investments in the region. We’ll also dive into how Jobs to Move America is partnering with local organizations and the United Auto Workers to organize for better jobs and infrastructure, helping to strengthen civic infrastructure and build advocacy capacity.

Target Audience

This event is open to donors, staff, directors, and trustees of all grantmaking institutions. Smart Growth California is seeking to create an intimate gathering of funders working to build equitable, resilient rural communities, with the goal of learning, sharing, and facilitating strategic conversations on where philanthropic resources can have the greatest impact.

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