We are a collaboration between Climate Action Now of Western Massachusetts and the Association for the Production of Renewable Energy on the Aguagrun River.
Climate Action Now was created in the summer of 2012 as a community response to the growing environmental catastrophe. We are an all volunteer group, dedicated to building a powerful climate justice movement through organizing, action and public education. We invite everyone who wants to help build a vibrant climate justice movement to join us. More information here.
HidroAguagrún‘s mission is to build and operate a small, 300 kilowatt hydroelectric project in order to contribute to a change in the energy matrix with a view toward protecting the nature and small farming communities along the Aguagrún River. More information here.
Our Team
Ecuador Liaison
Miriam Lang
Miriam Lang is an activist academic who works as Professor of Environment and Sustainability at the Universidad Andina Simón Bolívar, Ecuador. She holds a PhD in Sociology and a Masters in Latin American Studies from the Free University of Berlin. She is a member of the Ecosocial and Intercultural Pact of the South and the Latin American Permanent Working Group on Alternatives to Development.
Intag Liaison
Denis Laporta
Denis Laporta is a specialist in sustainable alternatives with 20 years of experience in international cooperation in rural development, popular economics, and sustainable energy transition. He is a founder of Corporación Toisán, the main social organization in the Intag Valley. He is an administrator of the Association for the Production of Renewable Energy Aguagrun River.
HidroAguagrún Liaison
Jorge Guachagmira
Jorge Rafael Guachagmira Fuel is the president of the Association for the Production of Renewable Energy Aguagrun River. Self-taught, he is a well-known craftsman who runs a workshop devoted to industrial mechanics in the rural community of Nangulví, which is in the center of the Intag Valley. In 2020, he won a Censat prize for his invention of small turbines for the generation of electricity made out of aluminum recycled from discarded motorcycle parts.
CAN Liaison
Russel Vernon-Jones
Russell Vernon-Jones is a longtime anti-racism and climate justice activist, consultant, and educator. He was a public school teacher and principal for 35 years and provides workshops and organizational development consulting at various locations. He is currently the lead organizer with “Coming Together: Understanding Racism, Working for Justice & Building Connections” in Amherst, MA.
Fundraising
John Feffer
John Feffer is the director of the Global Just Transition project at the Institute for Policy Studies.