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.”