Environmental Justice

Workforce Development with GRID Creates A Platform for Social Justice
When Tommy Minor was growing up in Cleveland, Ohio, he didn’t hear much about renewable energy. Yet his winding path through various worlds, including community ties in downtown Cleveland, Bowling Green University, psychology studies at Morehouse College, hip hop act tour management, and work with a social justice non-profit led him to land in his current position with GRID Alternatives North Valley as the Workforce Development and Volunteer Coordinator.

Press Release: EPA's McCarthy, HUD's Castro, White House Officials Spotlight Solar Power for Low-Income Families

GRID Alternatives expands national low-income solar energy program to mid-Atlantic region, raises important policy issues on access to solar power and jobs. Today U.S. government agency and White House officials paid a personal visit to the home of Kiona Mack, a single mother in the economically challenged Ivy City neighborhood in Northeast Washington, D.C., joining volunteers, job trainees, and community partners to install solar panels on her home.

Baltimore Fishbowl - GRID Alternatives Brings Solar to Baltimore’s Underserved One Panel at a Time

Genevieve Fenwick lives in a classic row home in Baltimore’s Belair-Edison neighborhood. Living on a fixed income, Fenwick said, “I’m the last person on earth you’d expect to have 12 solar panels powering my row home.” But thanks to GRID Alternatives, a nonprofit bringing renewable energy to underserved communities, the solar panels on Fenwick’s roof will soon be turning sunlight into electricity. 

Volunteer Gives Back by Biking Across the Country
The number one GRID volunteer stopped by our office last week. Well, all of our GRID volunteers are number one in our minds, but Michael Johnson-Chase is a remarkable, determined GRID Alternatives volunteer. For the past six months, Michael has been biking to each of the GRID regional offices, riding between 60 to 100 miles a day. He has been biking with the Climate Ride Independent Cycling Challenge to raise money for GRID.