The GRID Mid-Atlantic office has officially hit our one year mark and is ready to celebrate!
It’s been an exciting 12 months for the Mid-Atlantic team and we would like to take a moment to briefly review what has been achieved over the last year. GRID Alternatives launched its Mid-Atlantic presence in fall 2014 with a series of installations and events in Washington, D.C. This launch was part of a five-year, $2 million commitment from the Wells Fargo Foundation to help GRID Alternatives expand nationally. We currently have 12 full-time staff members and 3 additional HQ staff in-house and we’re still growing! We’ve installed over 107KW of clean energy, and provided more than 1,000 hours workforce training to 100 local residents.
Among many others, a few special highlights of this past year include:
- EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy and HUD Secretary Julián Castro speaking at the home of Kiona Mack, a single mother in the economically challenged Ivy City neighborhood in Northeast Washington, D.C. during the GRID Mid-Atlantic launch.
- Having 300 people—volunteers, community members, partner organizations, local leaders and top Obama administration officials--come out over the course of a week to help install 19 kW of clean, renewable solar power for ten deserving families, during the course of the Mid-Atlantic launch.
- Hosting Congressmen Elijah Cummings (D-MD), Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, Brian Deese senior advisor to President Barack Obama and other government officials during a White House announcement of new investments in solar for low-income communities, including a major investment in GRID’s SolarCorps Program at the Mid-Atlantic’s install in East Baltimore’s C.A.R.E. Community.
- Providing solar to 74-year-old Leonard Wills, who was recognized by Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake as one of Batimore’s “Top Neighborhood Dads” an annual honor given to “strong and dedicated Baltimore men who play an active role in making their communities better, safer, and stronger.” Mr. Wills, an Army Vet who has lived in Baltimore just about his whole life, was the first in East Baltimore’s C.A.R.E. community to go solar with GRID Alternatives thanks to a 10-home pilot, in partnership with the city, that also includes cool roof installations and a battery back-up system on the local community center.
To celebrate a year of success, we will be hosting our first Open House on Thursday, November 5th at 1629 Benning Road NE, Washington DC 20002 from 5:30-9:00pm. Stop by and enjoy an evening of food, drinks, games and networking.
This is a free event but we ask that you register at https://gridmidatlanticopenhouse.eventbrite.com
We look forward to meeting you!