Mayor Aja Brown stopped by our install site in Compton on May 7 to see what a non-profit that helps low-income people go solar while promoting good-paying jobs for good people really looks like! Union representative Kevin Norton was on the roof of our latest install with electricians and journeymen from Los Angeles County's International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local Union 11 when she arrived, learning the finer points of residential photovoltaics from Construction Manager Norman Graham and Solar Installation Supervisor Anthony Esquiaqui. Wearing her GRID hardhat, Mayor Brown quickly made the connections between our volunteering, the electrical union's desire to give back, the knowledge acquired through solar installation, and homeowner benefits. Kevin couldn't have had a better guest to watch his team finish the job, given Mayor Brown's support for workers and commitment to solving Compton's problems by drawing upon community solutions.
While every community may not possess a mayor as dynamic as Mayor Brown, we hear the interest in pathways to the solar workforce in every city. That's why we saw such a good opportunity in front of us when we partnered with IBEW Local 11 for this house. A solar revolution that includes everyone really starts shifting its engine into a higher gear when people who already know the energy business (like IBEW's brothers) know they can get exposure and practice in single family solar through GRID. Check out Mayor Aja Brown's shout out here!