MGE’s Customer Engagement and Community Services Manager Gloria Castillo Posada: Sustaining the World for the Next Generation
Gloria Castillo Posada became committed to sustainability as a child in Bogota, Colombia during a hydro-electric crisis in 1992.
Part 1 of 2
By Jonathan Gramling
Often times, it is things that we experience in our childhood that set us on our professional journey. Gloria Castillo Posada lived through an energy crisis in her hometown of Bogota, Colombia when she was little. It impressed on her the role energy played in our lives and the need to live sustainably.
“In Colombia, the way that energy is produced is through water, hydro-electric,” Posada said. “Back in that time, we had a huge Niño phenomenon, which is when it is very dry. It was so dry that they didn’t have enough water to produce energy. And so for a year, we had days without energy for nine hours. I remember being 6-7-years-old and thinking ‘This is crazy.’ Even in Bogota, the capitol in the 20th Century and we were still dealing with issues of energy, which is so fundamental for our work and lives. We had to change hours. We don’t have the Central time. We don’t change times like we do here. It was very disruptive for people. They went back to candles and things like that. It was such a very tangible way of how we can change what is disrupting our cities and our way of life. That was a lightning bolt in my life. Energy is such a crucial part of our lives and this is how it is affecting our lives and the community. We need to understand this better and to involve more people in this. I remember all of the ways that people were trying to save energy. For a whole year, they had to adapt to the circumstances and to be resilient and to really create new strategies around that. It really sparked something in me and shaped the way that I’ve seen life.”
Posada earned her undergraduate degree in ecology.
“Living in Colombia, you are very much exposed to the richness of biodiversity,” Posada said. “That really shaped me, growing up with a multitude of species and diverse people and where that connects, a place within people. That’s what really inspired me to study ecology. That was my first step into learning more and being in those spaces, talking with the people and learning from them.”
For 10 years, Posada worked on environmental issues in Colombia and Canada.
“I lived in Canada for some time, in Vancouver, and I did some work there with an environmental conservation organization called A Rocha Canada, which is an international conservation organization,” Posada said. “I did a lot of environmental education there in a very interesting community.”
About 12 years ago, Posada and her husband made a decision on what the next phase in their lives would look like. Her husband, a U.S. citizen, wanted to live closer to his family in Minnesota. Posada wanted to continue her education. They ended up near Knoxville, Tennessee before moving to Madison 10 years later so that Posada could attend UW-Madison.
“I went to the Nelson Institute,” Posada said. “I really liked it because it was very open to crafting your old degree. And since I was from Colombia and had very specific ideas on what I wanted to do, I felt that degree helped me shape that in a way that felt unique and good for me. That’s how we came here to Madison as many people come here for school and stayed.”
Posada worked for the YWCA Madison and Sustain Dane out of graduate school.
“I think both of those things plus my previous work with non-profits really helped me understand the nexus between sustainability and equity,” Posada said. “When you are working on issues of environmental conservation, you cannot talk about people. You cannot bring people to the conversation and table. We know that historically, a lot of people, especially from low-income and communities of color have not been a part of those discussions even though we have a long tradition of sustainability practices in our communities. So I was very interested in that conversation. When we are talking about sustainability, where is the equity? How are we centering it? Or when we are talking about equity, are we also bringing to the table sustainability issues? And I think a lot of people have been talking about that.”
Posada found a professional home where she could work on sustainability and equity issues at MGE.
“I felt MGE with their wide reach to the community had experience in having those conversations or at least had an opportunity and openness to bring that,” Posada said. “And we know that with the leadership of Joann Kelly and now with the leadership of Mario Garcia Sierra, energy equity is a big part of the work that we do. So I was very excited about that opportunity. My values, my passion and also my knowledge could be highlighted and be used to further the conversation and the work that has been done for many, many years here.as well as being open and trying to bring new ideas and creativity and knowledge for the work.”
One of the key roles that Posada’s department plays at MGE is its interfacing with underserved communities who may not be engaged in energy and sustainability conversations and thus their voices are not heard and they often are left behind. Over the years, the through community engagement, MGE has built long-term relationships with many agencies and organizations that work with or represent those underserved communities. This ensures that MGE has a communications conduit to those communities.
“I think one thing that is different about MGE is the deep relationships we have with partners,” Posada said. “We have trust. And we have worked for that trust for many years. We feel confident that we can have those conversations with our partners and we can feel that we can work together for common goals. MGE has put out the 2050 Framework, which has very ambitious goals. But that is hand in hand with the work that our communities are doing in Madison. It’s a partnership and we continue to strengthen those partnerships.”
And having that effective conduit is very important as the nature of how we get our energy evolves and has a dramatic impact on our lives.
“When we talk about sustainability, that means, ‘How do we have access to electric vehicles,’” Posada said. “’How do we have access to energy efficiency, education and solar and wind energy, all of those things that form a portfolio that really helps our families to feel like they are moving towards clean energy and they can bridge the impacts of that? I think sustainability provides the invitation for everyone to be a part of that. That means translating communications to Hmong and Spanish-speaking customers. I think there are very important conversations that we want to make sure our communities of color or low-income communities are also being a part of and being educated and even participating in that and not being left behind.”
Next issue: No one left behind
