A Greener Path to Earth Day

Once a year GRID Alternatives celebrates Earth Day through our activities and projects that help people make greener energy choices. As the nation’s largest nonprofit solar installer, GRID is uniquely positioned to make a positive impact in communities plagued with poor air quality. Through our single-family, community, and multifamily solar programs GRID has prevented nearly 924,000 tons of greenhouse gas emissions since 2001. For perspective, the reduction represents the equivalency of planting over 26 million trees or taking 218,000 cars off the road each year.

An important contributing factor of GRID’s efforts in reducing air pollution is our job training and volunteer initiatives. For GRID IE volunteer Moses Ramirez, clean air is always a topic worth discussing. “I am very concerned about air quality,” Moses said. “GRID really opened my eyes in terms of how installing solar can help the environment. As a Southern California resident, I see pollution daily and recognize solar as a key factor in building a greener future.”

Moses began his solar advocacy path as a GRID job trainee two years ago while taking classes at the Center for Employment Training (CET).  Since 2016 he has logged 80 volunteer hours, including installing a solar system at his own home.  He now works for CET brining skills learned at GRID to a wider audience. “I found GRID to be an excellent environment to learn,” Moses commented. “From micro inverters to built-in WIFI, GRID uses state of the art equipment which made my experience very real-world. I loved the hands-on training and working with GRID’s Solar Installation Supervisors (SIS).  They have an excellent knowledge base and use their expertise to support learning at a comfortable pace.”

Even though Moses has completed his GRID training, he encourages everyone to make Earth Day 2018 a green success. He mentioned there are many ways to support a cleaner environment with GRID ranging from participating in an installation to a financial donation. “I have seen the impact a GRID system has on families,” Moses said. “Volunteering is a fantastic way to give back to the community while really making a difference environmentally.”

If you would like to join Moses and the other 36,000 people who have trained with GRID contact us today. You can start the process by registering online using our simple sign-up process or reaching out to our workforce development team by calling 951.471.7043. We can provide you information about volunteer opportunities focused on Earth Day and beyond.