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Purpose Prize

Marc Freedman Portrait

The Latest from CoGenerate

Event Recording: Book Talk: Cogeneration in the Age of AI

Event Recording: Book Talk: Cogeneration in the Age of AI

Simple question: Do you miss human connection when you use self-checkout at the grocery store? Complex question: How is cogeneration threatened by AI, profit-driven “efficiencies,” and automation — and what can we do about it? Allison Pugh, author of the book The Last...

Putting Two Things Together

Putting Two Things Together

On Friday, May 15, I had the great honor to address the 2026 graduates of Drew University, including the undergraduate College of Liberal Arts, the Theological School, and the Caspersen School of Graduate Studies. I'm very grateful to Drew's remarkable President...

Introducing the CoGen Voices Fellows

Introducing the CoGen Voices Fellows

Across the country, young people and older people are stepping up as civic leaders. But too often, they do this critical work with peers, in age-segregated spaces. Young people work without the benefit of older generations who bring lived experience, networks, and a...

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Mildred Dandridge

Awareness for Communities about Energy
Purpose Prize Fellow 2007

Engaging young people with their communities on issues of energy efficiency.

After retiring as Director of Academic Advising and Adjunct Faculty from The Sage Colleges in Troy, New York, Mildred Dandridge moved to California to develop her passion for engaging youth in their communities. In 2002, she launched Awareness for Communities about Energy (ACE), a program of the nonprofit Strategic Energy Innovations. With the belief that young people will catch the eye of community stakeholders, Dandridge teaches elementary and high school students about energy management and auditing techniques, then connects them to small business owners and older adults to help them improve energy efficiency. More than 300 young people have participated in the program, at eight locations in California and Hawaii. Five organizations that work with at-risk youth have adopted the ACE model, using energy efficiency as a means to engage young people and build stronger community relationships. Dandridge’s next step: national expansion with the hopes of targeting after-school programs.