Washington, D.C. — Last week, Turn Forward launched a new ad as part of its current campaign to tell the stories of offshore wind workers and their families who are making offshore wind energy possible in the U.S. The ad focused on Maximo Decaba, a union painter who worked on the first offshore wind farm in the U.S. in Rhode Island. Maximo was inspired by his experience working on that first Block Island Wind Farm because of its life-changing economic benefits and its role in mitigating pollution and the impacts of the climate crisis for future generations.
“Workers like Maximo are instrumental to the offshore wind industry and as a result of their contributions, offshore wind will bring clean, reliable, domestically-produced power when and where Americans need it,” said Turn Forward Executive Director Stephanie McClellan. “Already, offshore wind energy is generating thousands of jobs, supporting small businesses, and bringing investments to local economies.”
“I’ve got grandkids and I want to leave this planet cleaner,” said Maximo Decaba, a member of International Union of Painters and Allied Trades (IUPAT) District Council 11, Local 195 in Rhode Island. “I want a brighter future and it’s time, time to go with clean energy.”
“Maximo is a tremendous ambassador for the worker-centered just transition Climate Jobs Rhode Island is fighting for. It’s workers like him that the labor movement has in mind when we organize for strong labor standards in the renewable energy marketplace,” said Patrick Crowley, Co-Chair of Climate Jobs Rhode Island Secretary-Treasurer of the Rhode Island AFL-CIO.
When coupled with strong labor standards, American investments in offshore wind can demonstrate that tackling the climate crisis can create high-quality union jobs and real benefits for workers and their communities. From the vessels that transport the equipment to the turbines themselves, the progress made in the clean energy transition is only possible because of the workers on the frontlines of this industry.
This new ad builds on this summer’s paid media campaign from Turn Forward and Climate Jobs National Resource Center (CJNRC). Through Maximo’s story and the stories of other union offshore wind workers, viewers will see the tangible benefits that offshore wind has had for him and his family firsthand.
Check out the ads below:
Turn Forward is an independent, non-profit advocacy organization dedicated to advancing an ambitious vision for American offshore wind power that meets today’s climate, economic, equity and environmental challenges. Learn more at turnforward.org.
Climate Jobs National Resource Center is a national labor-led organization advancing a pro-worker, pro-climate agenda to create union jobs, tackle the climate crisis, and advance equity. Learn more at: cjnrc.org.
For media inquiries, please reach out to avery@turnforward.org.