Onward From the #ClimateStrike: Powering the Movement for 100%
Last month, millions of people across the globe took to the streets as part of the largest climate mobilization in history. As the images rolled in from hundreds of youth-led climate strikes, we felt the passion, diversity, and strength of all of those people who came together to demand urgent climate action.
That week of action is over, but the power and urgency of their message endures — and we are proud to be speeding that critical transition to clean energy with your help. In 2019, we helped push a cascade of states to set bold renewable energy energy targets and clear the way for families, businesses and communities to go solar.
Today, nearly one in four people in the U.S. live in a state that’s committed to 100 percent clean electricity. That’s huge — and together we are going to keep that number growing. Read on to hear what’s been keeping us busy in Illinois, Massachusetts, Florida and beyond.
Turning Solar Customers Into Solar Activists
You are part of a mighty movement of people who are speeding our nation’s transition to healthy, reliable, competitive clean energy. But too often the voices of America’s solar workers, customers, and supporters are drowned out by powerful corporate interests when it comes time to defend and champion the clean energy policies that impact all of us. That’s why we teamed up with Solar United Neighbors to help people like you send solar love letters from all 50 states. Create your free postcard.
Are you with a solar company? Get your customers engaged today by encouraging them to go to I ❤️ My Solar and send a sunny personalized postcard to their own state and federal elected officials. We have sample emails and other materials to make this outreach easy, so please get in touch with us for an action kit. Reach out to Rosalind – .
100% in on 100% Clean Illinois
Lawmakers are returning to Springfield this fall, and we’re pulling out all the stops to power the Prairie State with 100% clean energy by passing the Clean Energy Jobs Act. Supported by a diverse coalition, CEJA is founded on ensuring that the benefits of clean energy — jobs, health and savings — are shared equitably across the state.
If you live in Illinois, urge Gov. Pritzker and state leaders to pass the Clean Energy Jobs Act.
Making Massachusetts the Solar Leader it Should Be
While so many states are charging boldly forward on clean energy, the Bay State is falling short. We released a report last month showing that Massachusetts’ unstable solar policy falls short of the kind of bold clean energy and climate action that people want and state law demands – and local communities are losing out on jobs, health benefits and energy bill savings as a result.
We’re working with partners all across the Commonwealth to call for tripling the state’s solar commitment and making Massachusetts the clean energy leader it should be.
Protecting Energy Freedom in Florida
We believe that everyone should have the right to produce, store and use their own clean energy if they so choose — and we spend an awful lot of time fighting monopoly utilities who try to make it hard or expensive for customers to make that choice.
The latest threat to solar rights comes from a former coal executive of the bankrupt Peabody Energy who wants to charge Floridians an egregious monthly $50 fee to turn on their lights, which would be bad for solar customers and for anyone else looking to lower their electricity bills. Florida Municipal Power Agency (FMPA) CEO Jacob Williams is calling on municipal utilities, which serve 2.3 million customers across the state, to adopt these steep monthly fees, squarely aimed at making solar customers “go away.” We’re working to stop unfair fees in their tracks and remaining vigilant for other threats to energy freedom in Florida and all across the U.S.
If you live in Florida, add your voice here.
Building a Just Energy New Jersey
In New Jersey, we teamed up with more than forty advocates from environmental justice communities, faith communities, conservation organizations, the solar industry and economic development institutions to create a shared vision for an equitable clean energy future in New Jersey and the next steps to get there.
Building a new kind of energy industry that values and encourages participation for people of every race, gender and life experience is not only the right thing to do, it’s something that we must do if we are going to achieve the kind of transformational change that a 100% clean energy future requires.
Equinox DC is Just Around the Corner!
We’re less than a month away from our big Equinox DC celebration and fundraiser! Please join us and hundreds of your closest solar friends in Washington DC on Thursday, October 24th for good cheer and a good cause. Get your tickets today for the solar party with a purpose.
National Solar Tour – This Weekend!
Want to check out solar in your own neighborhood and talk with folks who have gone through the process of powering their own home or business with sunshine? Our friends at Solar United Neighbors and the American Solar Energy Society are hosting the National Solar Tour this weekend to give you the chance to do just that. Oct 5 and 6, hundreds of solar owners nationwide are hosting open houses. Explore the map and search for solar open houses near you.
And don’t miss these upcoming events:
Oct. 29-30 | Power & Renewables Summit | Join the conversation around financing strategies, business model shifts, demand and regulatory updates as leaders across the energy value chain decipher how these profound transformations will reshape power markets over the next 10-to-20 years. Register here.
Nov. 20-21 | MDV-SEIA’s Solar Focus Conference | Join us in Baltimore to learn more about solar trends and insights from the Mid-Atlantic. Use discount code VS15 for 15% off registration. Register here.
Dec. 3-4 | Energy Storage Summit | Network and learn in Denver with a deep dive into the budding energy storage market, featuring data-intensive presentations and analyst-led panel sessions with industry leaders. Register here.