Meet AJ, our Rising Sun–Energy Democracy Organizer


(09/2022) Albert Jinyue Yuan, or AJ (he/him), is part of the Climate Careers program at Rising Sun Center for Opportunity and is currently externing as an Energy Democracy Organizer at Local Clean Energy Alliance (LCEA).

AJ was born and raised in Delaware and attended UC Davis, where he majored in Environmental Science and Management. He is planning to pursue a career in environmental law, and is hoping to work on climate policy.  But most importantly, his interest in organizing paired with law and policy demonstrates his values of centering community voices on energy issues that affect them.

AJ’s parents, who were both environmental scientists, inspired him to pursue a career working on climate issues. AJ is particularly passionate about addressing climate change's human impacts, especially through uplifting frontline communities. AJ's experiences with community outreach started in elementary school, volunteering each year with his family at his hometown's Chinese Culture Festival. 

Since then, he has worked at Environment California and was, most recently, an Energy Specialist at Rising Sun Center for Opportunity. Rising Sun is a non-profit dedicated to providing green job pathways to youth and low-income communities. Energy Specialists in the Climate Careers program administer energy efficiency surveys and install energy saving measures in homes throughout the Bay Area.
 
AJ is using his experience with Rising Sun through various aspects of the LCEA’s work.  He will be utilizing his expertise in energy efficiency for building decarbonization, microgrid resilience and community choice policies and practices.
 
In his free time, AJ loves to practice fencing, try new vegetarian recipes, and work on his Shanghainese over video calls with his grandfather.