Last Sunday, a dream came true on a street corner near downtown Oakland, California. On 350.org’s Global Work Party – day of service for climate action, Oakland’s Green Youth Arts & Media Center got hooked up to the free power of the sun AND was filled with the ideas and inspiration of Bay Area high school students!

Sungevity stepped up, helping the Center win by saving money every month on energy bills, and the Earth win by putting less carbon in the atmosphere. Mostly, when we think of getting access to solar energy, we think of people with enough affluence to afford it.

Sungevity is an Oakland-based company that is committed to finding ways for regular people to be able to get solar panels through an easy leasing program. Sungevity was one of the lead solar companies to push the White House to go solar. The founder, Danny Kennedy, an activist at heart, was in the Maldives, where he put up panels at the President’s palace, then flew straight to the Oakland Green Youth Arts & Media Center to celebrate with us.

The islands of the Maldives may well be under water in the next 20 years due to climate change and rising seas. Danny saw the connection between the people living on the distant islands of the Maldives and the youth on the streets of Oakland, and helped make a real difference.

At the same time as the installation, ACE hosted its first Student Training of the year for youth leaders in the Northern California region. After the installation and training, ACE educators, Ashel Eldridge and Ambessa Cantave performed for the Clean Energy Tour at Laney College opening for Pete Rock and CL Smooth!  Oakland not only knows how to solarize rooftops…but also let the sun shine in our hearts and minds.

-AshEL