Volunteers Help Bring Solar Power to Low-Income Residents

Thanks to Erica Mackie and Tim Sears, low-income residents in California are using the sun's power to save hundreds of dollars a year in home energy costs. These savings come thanks to Grid Alternatives, a non-profit organization Erica and Tim started to install solar energy systems on the homes of low-income residents. Families using these solar energy systems have seen their electric bills fall by about 75%.

One of the major reasons Grid Alternatives is able to deliver these energy-and-money-saving solar energy systems to California families is the organization's volunteer installation force. After completing a short training course, anyone can volunteer to help. Grid Alternatives volunteer projects are so popular with community groups, families, and individuals that many people have to wait a month or more just to help out. Habitat for Humanity, famous for building homes for low-income families, is an active partner of Grid Alternatives. Many times volunteers from the two organizations work side-by-side, installing solar power into a newly built home for a deserving local family.

While all utility companies don't yet offer renewable electricity, Grid Alternatives is taking the initiative to put today's clean technology into our communities, one house at a time. By training volunteers to help install solar power systems in people's homes, Grid Alternatives is demonstrating the power and feasibility of creating a green jobs workforce.

As a recent volunteer from San Francisco said, the best part of volunteering with Grid Alternatives is the end of the project when the group gathers around the home's utility meter. That's when everyone can see the meter actually run backwards because the home is now producing more energy than it is using. For Grid Alternatives volunteers and the families who will benefit from their work, that's proof that communities can create a better life for themselves and protect the planet.

This is just one example of how individuals, organizations, businesses and governments are helping to stop climate change. There are thousands more across the country and around the world – and it’s through these efforts that we’re going to be successful. We can’t afford not to succeed in this unprecedented challenge to our planet.

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