Dear Friends,
Earlier this month, we had the great pleasure of spending an evening with some of our most dedicated supporters, clients, volunteers and partners at our annual Interconnection event in San Francisco. It was an opportunity to celebrate our collective accomplishments, and honor people and organizations that have been key supporters of our mission.
California State Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de León, our first honoree, has been a longtime champion of environmental justice in the state, and was a driving force behind two key pieces of legislation that have put solar on thousands of rooftops, and millions of dollars back into the pockets of low-income families (watch the video). We also honored Enphase, a company that has supported us through employee volunteerism and donations of microinverters since the time when we were both tiny start-ups with big aspirations (watch the video).
The highlight of the evening for all of us were the words of Wyatt Atkinson, a Navy Veteran and Assiniboine and Sioux tribal member who is completing a year of service in GRID’s SolarCorps program.
“When I found out about GRID’s SolarCorps Fellowships,” he told us, “it was like the universe came into alignment and placed a stepping stone to my dream right in front of me: the chance for a meaningful job after college that would give me the skills I would need to help make my reservation energy independent.”
Wyatt works in California’s North Coast region, helping families--many of them Native American--put solar on their roofs, and providing other young people the same opportunity to get hands-on solar training that he has had.
A huge thank you to everyone who made the evening possible, including our key Interconnection sponsors Enphase and SunEdison, and thanks to all of you who make our work possible each and every day.
Tim Sears and Erica Mackie
GRID Alternatives Co-Founders