Available clean energy grants top $1 million

San Diego Community Power, San Diego Foun­dation, and Calpine Energy solutions announced they are granting more than $1.2 million towards local clean energy and green workforce develop­ment projects in San Diego County.

One of 16 projects throughout the county, Olivewood Gardens Clean Energy Resilience Proj­ect by Hammond Climate solutions will soon run on solar power and serve as a hub for electric­ity education. Hammond Climate solutions will provide a large solar array and battery storage to help the National City nonprofit reduce its reliance on the electricity grid.

“The solar project with battery storage at Olivewood Gardens will do more than provide clean, reliable power, it will help create a more sustainable and resilient future for our commu­nity,” said Jen Nation, Olivewood Gardens and Learning Center executive director in a press release. “We are also inspiring others to embrace sustainable practices through educational work­shops about clean energy and workforce opportu­nities funded by the grant.”

Community Power, a not-for-profit public agency, is designed to reinvest revenues into the people and organizations it serves. This year’s $1.2 million Community Clean Energy Grants is more than triple the reinvestment from last year.

“The expansion of this program delivers on Community Power’s commitment to meaning­fully reinvest in the people we serve,” stated San Diego City Council President Pro Tem and Com­munity Power Board Chair Joe LaCava. “From energy education to electric vehicles to energy resiliency, we are helping build healthy and sus­tainable communities.”

San Diego Foundation is administering the grants on behalf of Community Power and Calp­ine Energy Solutions.

“Through this expanded partnership, we’re able to have a greater influence on San Diego’s ability to survive and thrive through the chal­lenges of future climate change,” stated Mark Stuart, San Diego Foundation president and CEO.

Grants awarded to:

Chula Vista Elementary School District – $75,00 for its “STEAMing into Clean Energy with the Energy Station,” which will provide out-of-classroom experiences in science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics (STEAM), of­ten located in the world of work, where students take on different career roles aligned with prior­ity job sectors identified by San Diego Workforce Partnership.

GRID Alternatives San Di­ego – $100,000 to complete 20 single-family clean energy proj­ects in communities of concern within the next year.

Groundwork San Diego, Chollas Creek – $94,450 for an energy education project that will enhance energy efficiency and air quality in homes and expand community literacy around the economic, environ­mental and health benefits of improvements for households and communities.

SBCS (formerly South Bay Community Services) – $100,000 to provide low-income, minor­ity and system-involved youth in San Diego with pathways to employment within the solar industry.

GoGreenish – $25,000 to con­tinue a student-led research ini­tiative in partnership with the University of California San Di­ego School of Global Policy and Strategy measuring outdoor air pollutants in underrepresented K-12 high schools in San Diego.

Suncoast Market Cooperative – $84,108 to assist with opening South County’s first consumer-owned food cooperative featur­ing fresh, healthy and locally sourced food while supporting the local economy, providing education and advocating for environmentally sustainable practices.

La Mesa Park & Recreation Foundation – $100,000 to host free community electric vehicle and solar power education and install electric vehicle charging stations at a city park.

Ocean Discovery Institute – $50,000 to support over 450 seventh graders from City Heights to engage in hands-on learning experiences centered around climate change and so­lutions to climate change.

South Sudanese Community Center – $84,590 to expand a sustainable energy education and outreach program focused on City Heights.

La Maestra Foundation, Inc. – $50,000 to support an after-school and summer enrichment program that provides at-risk, low-income youth ages six to 18 with youth leadership and life skills development activities.

Climate Action Campaign – $100,000 toward development of the Refugee and Immigration Cultural Hub (RICH) in City Heights. The project will be built on a 2.2-acre site owned by the Partnership for the Ad­vancement of New Americans (PANA), which aims to estab­lish a healthy, resilient and in­clusive development for immi­grant and refugee communities and friends.

Hammond Climate Solutions Foundation – $100,000 to build a 16.4kW solar with 35kWh storage project for the National City-based nonprofit Olivewood Gardens and Learning Center and a series of clean energy workshops.

MAAC Project – $45,000 to support its Electric Vehicle Ac­cess program, which reduces carbon emissions and increases renewable energy usage in low-income and pollution-burdened communities through an in­crease in the adoption of elec­tric vehicles.

San Diego 350 – $100,000 to create and pilot a high school program that engages teachers and students in communities of concern in San Diego County’s South Bay on clean energy and its importance to environmen­tal health.

I Am Green Inc. – $100,000 for its Weatherization & Energy Equity program that provides education and training tailored to address the unique chal­lenges faced by individuals in communities heavily affected by poverty, unemployment, in­carceration and environmental injustice.

In Good Company – $50,000 to launch a program that will increase the impact of two ex­isting complementary climate justice educational programs, increase energy literacy in San Diego through an energy-specif­ic learning module and inspire program participants to imple­ment and advocate for clean en­ergy in their communities.

“Calpine has a long history of giving back to the communities we serve, and it’s a special plea­sure to do it here, in our back­yard,” stated Josh Brock, Calp­ine Energy Solutions vice presi­dent. “We were excited to see how many nonprofits responded to the grant and delighted that we were able to help so many organizations electrify and edu­cate San Diego.”

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