Green Gift Monday

What’s in your treasure box?

 

That’s the question of the moment.

 

You know what I’m talking about: that box of special trinkets you’ve been adding to since you were a child.

 

I’m betting there are some classroom photos from elementary school, maybe a lanyard that your BFF made you at 6^th grade camp, a homemade coupon book from a younger sibling, ticket stubs from a Pink Floyd laser light show, a love note from your first significant other, your Boy Scout or Girl Scout sash loaded up with patches, a scorecard from the day the Red Sox overcame their 86 year losing streak and won the World Series, a photo of the woman you gave a Kiva loan to, and maybe even some pressed flowers from a special event like a quince or a wedding.

 

You know what I bet is NOT in that box of treasures?  That Hungry Hungry Hippos game you BEGGED for.  The Debbie Gibson cassette tape you NEEEEDED.  Your first Pet Rock.  A necktie.  Tickle Me Elmo.

 

The things that are truly worth treasuring are the things that money can’t buy.  They are memories, experiences, things people made for you, things that fill up your heart, and things that replenish your soul.

 

I challenge you this holiday season to fill up someone’s treasure box instead of adding to their clutter and the piles of stuff that weigh them down.  This challenge officially begins on November 28^th, which is not just Cyber Monday, but also Green Gift Monday.

The Nature Conservancy created Green Gift Monday in 2010 to raise awareness for green gifting options and to provide ideas like making a charitable donation, purchasing eco-friendly gifts, or making homemade gifts.  You can also give the gift of an experience, which could be anything from season tickets to the opera, membership to a museum, a year’s worth of music via a cloud-based subscription service, or a few sessions with a life coach.

 

As part of your green gifting you can choose to support Sungevity’s Every Child Has a Light program, which provides solar light to rural schools in Zambia, allowing children to study after sundown.  For just $22 you can buy a light and join the critical fight against energy poverty.

 

Join the Green Gift Monday movement by signing The Nature Conservancy’s pledge to give green this year and then share some of your own green gift ideas.

Sungevity Goes International: Welkom Zonline!

Big news today: we announced our international expansion.  And what better country to expand into than one known for gouda cheese, chocolate sprinkles on bread (hagelslag), tulips, windmills, and wooden shoes?  That’s right Holland, I’m talking about you.

 

Welcome to the Sungevity family, Zonline!

Good looking bunch, eh?

 

Zonline, which roughly translates to “sunshine online,” is a Dutch solar start-up.  With this partnership Sungevity becomes the first US residential solar company to go overseas.  I think that’s worth a collectively shouted, “SHINE ON!, don’t you?

 

If you’ve spent any time in the Netherlands you might be curious about why we chose that particular market; Holland certainly isn’t the sunniest place in Europe.  What Holland does have, however, is the continent’s second-highest electricity rates.  Ack!  Additionally, Holland puts our model to test in a country without any solar subsidies.  Did I mention that people from the Netherlands love orange?  That wasn’t necessarily a driving factor behind the partnership, but it sure didn’t hurt 🙂

 

So how did we get to this point?  It’s been a long journey, but here is the story of how it all began: penguin suits, oil giants, and all.

 

 

No matter how big a tree you become, you should never forget your roots, be they American, Australian, Scottish, or Dutch. . .

 

 

Save the Delaware River

Going solar is bigger than just saving money each month on your utility bill.  Going solar is about being part of the solution.  It’s about standing up for what’s right and leading a desperately needed change in our energy portfolio.

 

On Nov. 21st the Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC) will vote on fracking regulations, that will allow thousands of gas wells to be drilled in the Delaware River Basin — the largest unfiltered drinking water supply in the world.  Join Mark Ruffalo in Trenton, NJ on Nov 21st to tell Obama, Wall Street, and the DRBC that our health and our lives are not collateral damage for the oil & gas industry.  Help stand up for New York, New Jersey, Delaware, and Pennsylvania.

Visit the Water Defense website for additional details on the event.

For more information on fracking or how Mark Ruffalo is involved with Sungevity, check out our blog post from July 11th.

Sungevity Brings World Peace to Los Angeles

Have you seen the headlines?

 

We just brought world peace to Los Angeles.

 

No big deal.  All in a day’s work [brushes shoulder off].

 

 

We actually brought World Peace AND Ebanks to Los Angeles…Although technically they were already there…So I guess we just brought them to Hollywood and Highland.

 

Okay.  This is getting confusing.  I think I need to start from the beginning.

 

When we first heard about the NBA lockout we felt like we needed to do something about it, because while the solar job sector is absolutely booming, other job sectors are stagnant.  We offered an honest day of work to two of our favorite LA Lakers, Metta World Peace (formerly Ron Ron Artest) and Devin Ebanks.

Metta and Devin were a joy to hang out with, and let’s just say that they were a smidge more popular with folks than our usual staff ;-P

 

As the lockout continues will they be taking up selling solar and slinging GoodPops as a full-time job?  My guess is no since they have to hunch to fit into the truck, but they sure did seem to have fun during their brief stint as SFUNsters (Sungevity employees).  We officially extend the invite for them to join us at the truck whenever they find themselves craving solar powered deliciousness.  We won’t even make them work for the ice pops next time 🙂

 

Occupy Oakland. . . and its Rooftops!

Jerry Brown, Governor of California, says:

 

Where there is a sufficient social movement of self-reliant communities, there can be political change. There must be political change

 

Whether you’re part of the 99% or the 1%. . .

 

Whether you support or denounce the Occupy movement. . .

 

Whether you welcome change or eschew it. . .

 

You’re watching the birth of a movement.

 

What started out as Occupy Wall Street has become Occupy Chicago, Occupy Atlanta, Occupy Delaware, and closest to home for us at Sungevity, Occupy Oakland.  Occupy is omnipresent, but what you might not have heard about is a bit of a morph in the movement that is scheduled to take place on November 20th.

 

November 20, 2011 is the official kick-off of Occupy Rooftops (or #OccupyRooftops if you’re into hashtaggery).

Disclaimer: Physically occupying an actual rooftop not required

 

Occupy Rooftops doesn’t separate the over-taxed from the under-taxed and it doesn’t involve camping out in city centers or blocking off ports.  Occupy Rooftops kicks off with people like yourself identifying buildings that you would like to see go solar and then taking a photo in front of them.  Maybe you would like to see your community center go sunny side up.  Perhaps your local taqueria would look better with shimmering panels perched up on its roof.  Would your place of worship run smoother if it was being run on solar?  The sky is the limit.  Quite literally. If you want to join forces with other folks in your community, check out the Occupy Rooftops Meetups that are already happening — or plan one of your own.

 

The great news is that after you submit your photo to theteam@solarmosaic.com and post it to Solar Mosaic’s Facebook page, you can work with Solar Mosaic to actually “occupy” the rooftop with a community purchased solar array.  Full disclosure: Solar Mosaic is one of the organizations in Sungevity’s solar incubator. Find out more about them here:

 

 

Here are some Solar Mosaic FAQs that explain the ins and outs of starting a Solar Mosaic project.

 

Will you occupy a rooftop on November 20?  Is your own rooftop occupied yet?  Below is a photo of a rooftop we “occupied” a few months ago with the help of GRID Alternatives.  Can you get together a bigger crowd for your #OccupyRooftops picture?  Consider that an official challenge.  And challenges often come hand in hand with prizes. . .