On July 13, 2026, community leaders, researchers, and climate advocates gathered at Holyoke Media for “Borikua Power: Building Energy & Climate Resilience Across the Diaspora.”

This hybrid public forum highlighted grassroots, community-led solutions to energy justice and environmental stewardship, bridging the gap between Puerto Rico and Holyoke, Massachusetts.

The event is part of a UMass Amherst-funded project, “Puerto Rican Power: Networking Across the Diaspora to Design Energy Resilience,” led by Associate Professors Carolina Aragón and Eve Vogel.

Some of the most relevant points of this event were:

The Diaspora Collaboration: Highlighting how Holyoke, home to one of the highest per-capita Puerto Rican populations in the US, can collaborate with the island to build equitable energy systems.

Grassroots Innovation: Panelists shared remarkable island-born models of energy sovereignty, including solar-and-battery microgrids and community-led disaster recovery.

Expert Panelists: Featured insights from leading Puerto Rican environmental advocates, including

Marcel Castro-Sitiriche (Co-Hemis)

Ruth Santiago (environmental lawyer)

Arturo Massol-Deyá (Casa Pueblo)

C.P. Smith (Cooperativa Hidroeléctrica de la Montaña).

Event held entirely in Spanish, and interpreted live by Nathalie Vicencio.

The original audio version in Spanish can be found here. La versión con el audio original en español, está disponible aquí.