From Our Bills to Our Breath: Why Clean Energy Matters Every Day

By: Cristal Valdez, Georgia Environmental Organizer

Have you ever been so passionate about a topic that you feel unstoppable? Then, out of nowhere, you meet someone who is completely unfamiliar with it — or worse, uninterested. It can make you feel alone, even gaslit.

For me, that topic is clean energy.

Clean energy should be at the top of everyone’s mind — not just once a year, but every day. Each year, the International Day of Clean Energy, marked on January 26, is meant to inspire nations and people across the planet to move away from outdated, harmful systems and toward technologies that protect us rather than poison us. But the truth is, clean energy isn’t a one-day conversation. It’s about the air we breathe, the bills we pay, and the kind of future we’re building year-round.

Across the country, families are paying more every month for energy that harms both their health and their wallets. From rising utility bills to pollution in our neighborhoods, the impacts of dirty energy aren’t abstract — they show up in asthma rates, household budgets, and climate disasters that disrupt our lives. Clean energy is not a luxury. It’s a necessity.

Here in Georgia, that reality is especially clear. Fossil fuel investment plans approved by the Georgia Public Service Commission continue to raise utility rates and pad corporate profits while families shoulder higher bills and increased pollution. Expensive and unreliable coal, methane gas, and the growing dependence of massive data centers are costs passed directly to Georgia Power monopoly customers. Families pay more while receiving less stability and fewer protections.

And Georgia isn’t alone. Similar decisions are being made in states across the country — choices that lock communities into dirty, costly energy instead of affordable, healthier solutions. When we prioritize fossil fuels, families everywhere feel the consequences. When we prioritize clean energy, we invest in public health, economic dignity, and long-term resilience.

Clean energy isn’t just about electricity. It’s about choosing a healthier, more dignified future for ourselves and the next generation. That’s why the International Day of Clean Energy should be more than a moment on the calendar — it should be a year-round call to action.

In Georgia, we have a real opportunity this year. Voters will decide key Georgia Public Service Commission races, including Districts 3 and 5. These are the officials who shape our energy system and our monthly bills. But beyond Georgia, everyone has a role to play: vote, organize, and demand investments in affordable, clean energy that put families before corporate profits.

Our voices, our votes, and our participation matter. Our energy future is being decided right now — in Georgia and across the country — and families deserve a system that works for them, not against them.