Michael Hawthorne Jr

Biography

Michael Hawthorne Jr. is Co-Founder of Klean Energy Kulture, CEO of Electric Kulture, and Head of Planning for Atlanta Climate Week. An environmentalist, climate justice advocate, and cultural innovator, he bridges clean energy, entertainment, and community engagement to make climate action accessible and relevant. His career includes work with Greenpeace, the Sierra Club's Beyond Coal campaign, and national environmental initiatives. Through Klean Energy Kulture, Michael leverages music, storytelling, and pop culture to amplify underrepresented voices, accelerate clean energy adoption, and build a more inclusive climate economy.

Sessions

1. OURstory, NOT HIStory

   Fri, Nov 6, 10:30 AM – 11:15 AM CT

   Track Smart Cities

   Who tells a community's story shapes who gets to define its future. As cities evolve through technological innovation, infrastructure investment, and economic development, whose voices are shaping the vision—and whose stories are being left behind? Join J Paul Johnson, Founder of BlackEverything.com, and Michael Hawthorne Jr., Co-Founder of Klean Energy Kulture, with Sean Wilson, National Director of Organizing and Partnerships at Dream.Org, moderating. Together, they'll explore storytelling as essential infrastructure—a tool for preserving community history, elevating lived experience, building collective power, and influencing how cities invest and grow. From cultural preservation and climate storytelling to community organizing and economic opportunity, this conversation examines how residents can move beyond being subjects of change to becoming authors of their communities' futures. Because building smarter cities isn't just about what we build. It's about whose stories, voices, and visions guide the way.