He got counseling, support, had his gang tattoos removed, and graduated from the [Homeboy Industries] solar-installation program in 2014. Today, he is the volunteer-and-training coordinator at GRID Alternatives, where he speaks proudly of the first Homeboy cohort he ushered through the program: All 19 were undergoing reentry after time in prison, and all 19 found jobs after graduation in the solar industry.
GRID in the News
"Although our coalition is obviously not thrilled about additional investments in natural gas, I do want to appreciate all the work that you've done" to reach out to community groups and talk about how to "make this investment as smart as possible," said Michael Kadish, executive director of the nonprofit Grid Alternatives Greater Los Angeles.
"Part of what made this the right choice was Alegria's fight against the polluting AllenCo Energy oil well facility across the street," Michael Kadish, executive director of Grid Alternatives in Greater Los Angeles, who envisioned the collaboration, told me.
This is where the Alegria [affordable housing project] comes in: Its new solar array is little more than a symbolic gesture, assisting a mere 15 families, but it demonstrates that sustainable energy can and should be accessible and affordable for all.
Hoy, el Edificio Alegria cuenta con un sistema de energía solar, gracias a un acuerdo con Grid Alternatives. Es la primera iniciativa local en traer energía solar gratis a inquilinos de bajos fondos quienes sufren directamente de la extracción petrolera.
Organizaciones no lucrativas que sirven a comunidades en zonas marginadas o en desventaja socioeconómica también son elegibles para recibir el beneficio.
The organization will have help from partners including GRID Alternatives, SEIA, Sunrun, Vote Solar and others.
Once Merritt [Graves] and I formed an alternative rock band, we found ourselves talking constantly about all this Southern California sunshine that tends to go to waste. […] So when Trapdoor Social prereleased its second EP in 2014, we partnered with the Sierra Club, Grid Alternatives, and a small nonprofit called Everybody Solar to throw a fundraising event.
Grid Alternatives is a nonprofit partnering with the coalition in Watts to install the solar panels.
Other participants included GRID Alternatives Executive Director for Greater LA Area Michael Kadish, who delivered the solar panels for the 6kw MegaWatts installation at the [St. John's United Methodist] Church, and messages from Sierra Club National Board Vice President Susana Reyes, Watts Clean Air and Energy Committee member Shirley Gamble, and Watts Neighborhood Council member Mac Shorty.