People raised in Silicon Valley generally have a healthy respect for technology, and Campbell, Calif., Vice Mayor Evan Low is no different. Born in 1983 in San Jose, Low has become a leader in moving his community toward technology-based energy solutions, environmental sustainability and growth management.
In 2009 Low’s city council peers elected him to a one-year term as mayor, making him one of the youngest openly gay and youngest Asian-American mayors in America. Now in his second term on the council, Low is focused on his community’s future. Gay Politics spoke to him about his work on energy and sustainability issues.
GP: Why is this issue so important to you?
EL: This is my home. It’s where I want to start a family. Nothing is more important than building the future of your own community. A big part of that is making sure it’s environmentally sustainable and fiscally sound, and that’s about making the right choices now. As an elected official, I can choose to follow public opinion or I can help to lead it. I’m interested in learning about our options and then helping people make the right decisions.
GP: You’re big on the intersection of technology and sustainability. What’s the thinking behind that?
EL: Well, all of us in Silicon Valley are pretty sold on the promise of technology, but it’s not just because it happens to be our economic engine. We’re the world leaders in creating technology to inform, entertain, protect and help manage our lives. And we’ll help create the technology that will answer some of the toughest energy and environmental challenges faced around the world.
GP: Can you give us an example?
EL: Sure. Right now we’re trying to take advantage of technology to build a smarter energy grid and help people understand their own energy usage better. One part of that is installing smart meters that give families much more detailed and useful information about their energy usage at home. It also allows energy suppliers to more accurately and efficiently deliver energy where and when its needed most.
GP: How will that help the region become more environmentally sustainable?
EL: The old saying is right: information is power. A lot of newer cars these days–especially hybrids–include gauges that let a driver know how efficiently the car is performing. Drive like you’re in a race car and you see that efficiency rating drop, so there’s an incentive right in front of you to lay off the gas pedal–maybe boost your miles-per-gallon. Knowing more about our own energy usage will help us become more energy aware and more efficient. That will lower costs, lower emissions, and help us predict much more accurately our future energy needs.
GP: And how do you, as an elected official, play a part in that?
EL: The question for us as city officials is whether the city is going to take a lead in trying to adopt some of these policies and help educate people about their benefits. That’s a policy question, but it’s also one about outreach and information and, yes, leadership. That’s what I’m trying to do now around the issue of smart meters–explain how these can have a positive impact on our community’s future.
GP: What other priorities are you working on?
EL: We need similar solutions to challenges like reducing our water usage. I’m also interested in how you make communities more walkable so that we rely less on cars. I think all of these issues are definitely intertwined. There’s an incentive for me as a young person to help shape how we think about these issues now so that when I’m raising kids here it will still be a beautiful and balanced place to live.
This is the second post in our series “Out Leaders in Public Policy,” highlighting openly LGBT leaders working in public policy areas that affect the broader population.
People raised in Silicon Valley generally have a healthy respect for technology, and Campbell, Calif., Vice Mayor Evan Low is no different. Born in 1983 in San Jose, Low has become a leader in moving his community toward technology-based energy solutions, environmental sustainability and growth management.
In 2009 Low’s city council peers elected him to a one-year term as mayor, making him one of the youngest openly gay and youngest Asian-American mayors in America. Now in his second term on the council, Low is focused on his community’s future. Gay Politics spoke to him about his work on energy and sustainability issues.
GP: Why is this issue so important to you?
EL: This is my home. It’s where I want to start a family. Nothing is more important than building the future of your own community. A big part of that is making sure it’s environmentally sustainable and fiscally sound, and that’s about making the right choices now. As an elected official, I can choose to follow public opinion or I can help to lead it. I’m interested in learning about our options and then helping people make the right decisions.
GP: You’re big on the intersection of technology and sustainability. What’s the thinking behind that?
EL: Well, all of us in Silicon Valley are pretty sold on the promise of technology, but it’s not just because it happens to be our economic engine. We’re the world leaders in creating technology to inform, entertain, protect and help manage our lives. And we’ll help create the technology that will answer some of the toughest energy and environmental challenges faced around the world.
GP: Can you give us an example?
EL: Sure. Right now we’re trying to take advantage of technology to build a smarter energy grid and help people understand their own energy usage better. One part of that is installing smart meters that give families much more detailed and useful information about their energy usage at home. It also allows energy suppliers to more accurately and efficiently deliver energy where and when its needed most.
GP: How will that help the region become more environmentally sustainable?
EL: The old saying is right: information is power. A lot of newer cars these days–especially hybrids–include gauges that let a driver know how efficiently the car is performing. Drive like you’re in a race car and you see that efficiency rating drop, so there’s an incentive right in front of you to lay off the gas pedal–maybe boost your miles-per-gallon. Knowing more about our own energy usage will help us become more energy aware and more efficient. That will lower costs, lower emissions, and help us predict much more accurately our future energy needs.
GP: And how do you, as an elected official, play a part in that?
EL: The question for us as city officials is whether the city is going to take a lead in trying to adopt some of these policies and help educate people about their benefits. That’s a policy question, but it’s also one about outreach and information and, yes, leadership. That’s what I’m trying to do now around the issue of smart meters–explain how these can have a positive impact on our community’s future.
GP: What other priorities are you working on?
EL: We need similar solutions to challenges like reducing our water usage. I’m also interested in how you make communities more walkable so that we rely less on cars. I think all of these issues are definitely intertwined. There’s an incentive for me as a young person to help shape how we think about these issues now so that when I’m raising kids here it will still be a beautiful and balanced place to live.
The Victory Institute is proud to announce the 2012 spring class of the Victory Congressional Internship, a selective program that seeks to provide outstanding young LGBT leaders with a unique experience on Capitol Hill as well as leadership training programs offered by the Victory Institute.
Categories: LGBT Leaders, lgbt students, Victory Congressional Internship | 
Tags: Asian American Justice Center, California Department of Education, California School Boards Association, capitol hill, Collegedale, Kirsten Gillibrand Torsten, LGBT, Nancy Pelosi Jarod, professional development, Santa Monica College, selective program, Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania, Southern Adventist University, Tammy Baldwin King, Ted Deutch Heather, tennessee, Texas, The Victory Institute, university of texas at austin, Victory Congressional Internship, Victory Institute | 
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