Rooted in Community: Inside EDPR NA's Culture of Local Connection
Meaningful community engagement runs through everything we do at EDPR NA. From a project’s earliest phases of development through construction and decades of operation, we become part of the fabric of a local community.
Lasting relationships start before a project breaks ground.
“Community relationships form the basis of our business,” says Tom Loturco, EVP of Development and Public Affairs for the Eastern United States and Canada. “When we go into a community, we plan to stay for a generation. That means we need to have working relationships with the municipalities, landowners, other agency officials, as well as the community at large.”
Once projects move from development to construction, the team hosts community cookouts—BBQ, yard games, and a chance for landowners and local officials to celebrate the projects alongside their neighbors.
In Jasper County, Indiana, EDPR NA recently hosted a community-wide cookout celebrating the state’s growing clean energy footprint and the completion of Carpenter Wind. The facility generates more than 196 MW of clean energy, powering over 55,500 homes in Jasper County -- making EDPR Indiana's largest clean energy owner and operator. Statewide, EDPR NA currently operates 2 GW of gross capacity, serving the equivalent of more than 527,000 homes and businesses.
Our involvement extends well beyond cookouts and dinners. EDPR NA teams lead educational site tours, join local events, and volunteer with community organizations.
“One thing that makes me proud to work here besides producing clean energy is the relationships I get to build in the community. I’ve been able to foster those relations and see the benefits [of clean energy] for their family and their community,” says Jay W., a Plant Lead Technician at Carpenter Wind.
Developers seek out input from local leaders, project neighbors, and landowners and ensure multiple avenues are available for members of the public to learn about the site and discuss their questions or concerns with EDPR NA team members. At every level, our employees make a difference in local communities that extends far beyond our development work.
For more than 15 years, EDPR NA employees have raised funds and volunteered for the Texas MS 150, supporting the National MS Society's mission to end multiple sclerosis.
EDPR NA’s volunteers recently rolled up their sleeves at Blackshear Elementary School in Houston to clean, weed, and landscape outdoor spaces and make a healthier environment for students and the community.
In Arkansas, EDPR NA partnered with Ducks Unlimited to restore wetlands, protect wildlife habitat, and support long-term conservation efforts that benefit both the environment and local communities.
Every year, EDPR NA interns volunteer with local nonprofits – a core part of learning corporate social responsibility. This summer, our Houston interns partnered with Houston Kids' Meals, Inc. to prepare more than 3,000 sandwiches and 6,000 snack bags for children experiencing food insecurity.
The numbers speak for themselves: across North America, EDPR NA has hosted more than 75 local events, participated in dozens of volunteer efforts across the country, and donated more than $350,000 to 20+ chapters of Future Farmers of America and 4-H.
