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Here at Sungevity , we try to stay on the sunny side.  But there’s nothing positive to say about Prop 23, a cynical Texas oil company attempt to overturn California’s landmark clean energy/climate change legislation.

Texas oil refiners Valero and Tesoro are pouring millions into Prop 23. Their motive is clear: Keep California addicted to oil by killing policies that would promote clean energy innovation and jobs.

If you live in California, this Saturday is your chance to speak out at Valero stations around the state–Oakland, Richmond, LA, San Rafael, Palo Alto, Santa Barbara–check the Hell No on 23 Facebook page for details.

–Erica Etelson



When I dropped my son off for his first day of school this morning, I wish I could have bottled the excitement and energy generated by twenty eight-year olds and their parents–enough to power the entire campus, I’m certain.  Before you get too deep into school-year inertia, harness the back-to-school buzz by finding parents who are interested in taking steps to help your school go green.

Your first stop is the Green Schools Initiative where you’ll find a Green School pledge and resources to help your school become more energy-efficient, phase out the use of toxic cleansers and insecticides and serve healthier lunches.

Schools are huge consumers of energy, food and other products, many of which can be very damaging to young bodies (and old planets).  There are plenty of eco-friendly alternatives on the market (which you can browse on the Green Schools website)–its a matter of educating parents and school officials on the importance of making the switch, which sometimes costs a little more. Don’t forget to check out the solar schools resource page.

And speaking of solar schools, we’re inspired to learn that the Anaheim Public Utilities (APU) has helped four Anaheim schools go solar and is accepting applications from other schools.  APU pays for 80% of the cost of the system, and the school covers the balance.

Talk to other parents to find out what their top concerns are–indoor air quality, nutrition, energy efficiency, paper conservation–whatever issues resonate, focus on shifting your school’s purchasing policies there first.  Change doesn’t come quickly to most schools, so choose your battles wisely and prepare to be persistent.

If you’re in California, you may want to go to the Green Schools Summit in Pasadena on December 8-10 or the Youth Energy Summit in Sebastopol on September 21.  Denver folks check out the U.S. Green Building Council’s Green Schools Conference on October 4.

–Erica Etelson

If you’re concerned about climate change, here’s your chance to let the next Senator of California know. The Center for Biological Diversity is planning a “keep the heat on the Senate” event on Wednesday, September 1, at the site of a debate between senatorial candidates Barbara Boxer and Carly Fiorina in Moraga.

Gather with signs such as “Protect the Clean Air Act” or “350 is the limit” at 6:00 pm at Saint Mary’s College, Lefevre Theatre, 1928 Saint Mary’s Road. A carpool will run from Orinda BART at 5:30. If you want a ride, contact rbraz@biologicaldiversity.org. (Unless you have a ticket to the debate, you won’t be able to get in—the plan is simply to stand outside with signs as the candidates, audience and media file in). You can get a ride back to Orinda BART anytime after 7 pm.

We need strong climate legislation and we need it fast.  Putting up solar panels and cutting your carbon footprint is a great first step, but we need to enact national laws that will motivate the other  115 million households to do the same.

–Erica Etelson

The sun is a useful star.  When it comes to powering our homes and creating the foundation for life on this planet, the sun can’t be beat.  Now, scientists are discovering another awesome little trick the sun can perform—simply throw a few million microbes into the mix and…presto, solar energy can be converted into chemicals. The process, called electrosynthesis, mimicks photosynthesis but, instead of changing sunlight into energy, the microbes feed on electrons and change sunlight into chemicals.

If you’re like me, it’s all pretty incomprehensible, but the point is this:  If chemicals can be made from electrosynthesis, we won’t have need for all the nasty petrochemcials that are poisoning everything from drinking water and farm produce to frogs and songbirds.  When chemical pesticides came into widespread use in the 1940s, the so-called “Green Revolution” was on.  Decades later, our planet’s life support systems are suffering the unintended consequences of “better living through chemistry.”  We’re now seeing the true “Green Revolution” gather steam with the birth of the green chemistry movement that strives to find less harmful alternatives to deadly petrochemicals.

It’s likely to be years until solar-powered chemicals are commercially available. In the meantime, minimize your petrochemical footprint by avoiding bottled water and other disposable plastic items, eating organic food, buying natural cleansers and cosmetics and using non-chemical pest control methods in your home and garden.  Your endocrine system, along with the planet, thank you in advance.

–Erica Etels0n

The Texas Oil Companies behind the Dirty Energy Prop seem to be up to some new tricks, including using Adam Smith’s name in vain! The latest news on this front is that their fundraising campaign is raising the federal government’s eyebrows. As reported here before, the campaign is desperate to save big oil’s bottom line, and their legally questionable tactics are proving it.

Read more of Danny’s latest post on SF Gate’s City Brights.

Stanley Dudley, Ellensburg solar investor

What would you do if you were passionate about solar energy but couldn’t afford to buy panels for your house?  You would lease panels from Sungevity, of course, but let’s say you rent your home or live in a state not served by Sungevity.  If you’re like 90 residents (1% of all homeowners) of Ellensburg, Washington, you would pony up a few thousand dollars to invest in a community solar project.

That’s right, the tiny city of Ellensburg owns its own solar power generating station that powers 25 nearby homes.  The station already generates 58 kw of solar electricity and is in the process of adding another 24 kw.  Investors are paid back quarterly over a 20-year period.

Ellensburg’s solar power array by itself is small fry.  But it’s a testament to the power of innovation and dedication demonstrated by the project’s architects and investors. Undaunted by naysayers, these folks cared enough about our energy and climate future to do their bit.  Imagine if 1% of the population of NYC or Los Angeles did the same.

–Erica Etelson

Today marks the three-month anniversary of the Gulf oil spill.  How many times in the past month have you wondered what you can do about it?

The Center for Biological Diversity has launched a No More Oil Spills Month of Action designed to give concerned citizens an opportunity to voice their outrage and demand a permanent solution to our fossil fuel addiction.  Visit their website to learn about local actions in your area, tips for writing a letter to the editor and opportunities to visit your senator or representative when he/she is in town during the August recess.

Images of the Gulf devastation are disturbing but, as the late great environmental activist Judi Bari said, “Don’t mourn, organize!”  The pundits keep saying that the Gulf spill presents the opportunity of a generation to get serious about energy security and climate change–they’re right, but only if the rest of us get busy.

–Erica Etelson

Planning to travel this summer? Whether driving down the coast or flying to Italy, many eco-conscious travelers buy “carbon offsets” that (in theory) cancel out the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions their trips generate. Here’s how it works: Let’s say you fly round-trip from Los Angeles to New York. You visit the website of a carbon offset company which calculates your GHGs for this little jaunt (two tons). The company then offers you the opportunity to buy carbon credits to offset your flight.  If that sounds like a sin tax on fossil fuel consumption, it is just that.

Different offset companies do different things with the money you pay them-some are scam artists that do nothing, some plant trees, some build wind farms or turn cow poop into electricity. It’s important to choose an offset company that makes the most of the cabbage you fork over. When choosing a company, look at how much carbon per dollar they offset-in other words, if you pay $50, will they be able to offset two tons of GHGs or five or ten? And examine whether the offset measurably displaces carbon emissions. For example, I like Native Energy because it uses the money I give them to build wind farms which directly reduce the amount of coal being fed into the electric grid. Offset companies that sequester carbon are dicier, because it’s hard to measure the amount of carbon being sequestered, and it’s hard to know whether the company is actually doing something that wouldn’t have happened anyway. On the other hand, some sequestration activities like tree planting and soil restoration have other important ecological benefits in addition to carbon capture.

Here are a few carbon offset companies that have a proven track record of converting offset dollars into renewable energy projects: Native Energy Solar Electric Light Fund TerraPass Climate Friendly

I can’t end this blog without raising the issue of whether the whole concept of carbon offsets even makes sense.  Sungevity customer Annie Leonard of Story of Stuff fame has created a new short video called The Story of Cap and Trade.  It debunks the notion that we Americans can keep on partying and count on a cap and trade scheme (or scam) to keep atmospheric carbon at safe levels.  As author Dan Welch put it, carbon offsets “are an imaginary commodity created by deducting what you hope happens from what you guess would have happened”. The only sure way to keep carbon out of the atmosphere is to keep it in the ground.  That means traveling to Yosemite instead of Patagonia and powering your home with renewables instead of with coal. So if you’re now feeling skeptical about the whole carbon offset concept, here’s another idea: Go to one of the sites above to calculate your sin tax, then donate that amount to an organization that is working to stop climate change. 

Sungevity “offsets” its emissions by donating money to Vote Solar, the Alliance for Climate Protection and 350.org.  My personal favorite is 350.org because it is one of the few groups that is willing to tell it like it is:  We must get to 350 ppm of atmospheric carbon, not 700, not 450, 350, end of discussion.

–Erica Etelson

Is there a dad in your life who likes to tinker around the house?  How do you think he would like $8500 toward his little home improvement projects?  Cities are beginning to dole out money coming at us through the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant program and the Recovery Act.  Find out what how to get the dough in Berkeley and other California and Arizona cities.

Happy Father’s Day.

–Erica Etelson

Arizona has some of the best solar incentives in the United States.  There’s a statewide tax credit for 25% of the cost of a PV system up to $4000 (meaning the maximum tax credit is $1000).  And there’s no sales tax on the first $5000 worth of solar equipment you buy.  But I haven’t even gotten to the good part yet.

The Good Part is supersized rebates offered by Arizona’s three biggest utilities:

The Salt River Project will pay for up to $10,750 of the cost of your system.

Tuscon Electric Power’s rebate is even more generous, covering up to 60% of the cost.

Arizona Public Services customers can get rebates that cover up to 50% of system costs.

Supersized rebates mean supersized savings for homeowners who lease or buy a solar system, making Arizona one of the hottest solar markets in the world.  Arizona utilities also offer rebates for solar hot water heaters and energy efficiency retrofits so be sure to check their websites for details.

Last but not least, the answer to yesterday’s Trivia Challenge:  What is the official neckwear for the Grand Canyon State (the only state in the union with official neckwear per 1973 law)?  The bolero.

–Erica Etelson