Ditch Your Ties and Roll Up Your Sleeves!: A Sponsored Workday with Dole

In February of 2012, GRID Alternatives Greater Los Angeles completed our first sponsored workday event in Ventura County! Volunteers from the Dole Foods world headquarters in Westlake Village joined GRID Alternatives staff and volunteer Team Leaders and installed solar for the Montelongo Family of Thousand Oaks. This small 1.2 kW solar electric system will reduce almost 40 tons of C02 in its lifetime, the equivalent of planting over 100 trees, and will cut the Montelongo family’s monthly energy bills in half.

These energy cost savings are a meaningful contribution to the family’s long-term financial stability, especially in the current economic climate, where 1 in every 248 housing units received a foreclosure filing in Ventura County and the unemployment rate increased to 9.7% in January.

Rosaura Montelongo and her daughter Valeria hosted the installation team. "The Grid Alternatives team and the Dole volutneers were amazing," Rosaura said. "It was a plessure having worked with them, they did the work very fast, and all of them are very nice, and it was a great experience having them in my home."

This installation also provided valuable installation experience for long-time GRID Alternatives volunteer Team Leader, Mitch Tatro. GRID’s Team Leader program allows volunteers who participate in five installations and demonstrate a mastery of a checklist of skills to obtain advanced training and learn leadership skills on site. For Mitch, however, this may be his last GRID install for awhile; just after the completion of this project he found a job in the solar industry.

Scott Campbell, Director of Logistics of Packaged food at Dole, participated in the installation, and expressed his enthusiasm after the event, “I thought Grid Alternatives is doing some great things, lowering cost of living for low income families, as well as providing renewable energy to our economy and training skilled craftsman to become independent entrepreneurs.”

Dole’'s Marketing Services Coordinator Monica Spiro, who organized the volunteer workday commented, “A year ago I had the pleasure of witnessing a solar install by Grid Alternatives. I was so impressed by their program that I began a dialogue to see how Dole could participate in this great cause. As a result, on February 21, 2012 a group of Dole employee volunteers got to ditch their ties, pull up their sleeves, put on a harness and take a crash course in carpentry and electrical installation for a local family in Dole's own back yard.”

“But the best part, Ms. Spiro adds, “Is now that family can use the money they save on energy to pay for food, education and healthcare. Go GRID Alternatives!”