Clean Currents and DC Velo staff a pit stop at Bike to Work Day

National Bike Month has been a blast. Aside from down right chilly weather and some rain showers, we've had a great time getting back on our bikes after the winter and getting to know some of the great biking organizations in DC, Maryland, and Pennsylvania.

One of our favorites -- and newly wind powered -- is the Washington Area Bicyclist Association (WABA).  As the DC region's non-profit biking association, WABA promotes bicycling as a fun, affordable mode of transportation that builds community, keeps you healthy, and keeps environment healthy too. 

WABA advocates for better bicycling conditions and transportation choices. They also  educate the community about safe bicycling through classes and events.  They do all of this with the vision of fully-integrated transportation system in the DC region that links transit, trails, bicycling, and walking.

WABA was also an organizer of Bike to Work Day -- getting over 14,000 in the DC metro area out on their bikes this past Friday. We had a great time staffing rest areas with the DC Velo  team and have some great pictures to prove it. Check out WABA's infographic on how the DC area participated in Bike to Work Day.

Now, by becoming 100% wind-powered by Clean Currents, WABA is taking another step towards a healthier future.  They're also helping Clean Currents customers get healthy. Now, all Clean Currents customers receive a discount to a WABA membership. Just email us at gogreen@cleancurrents.com to get access to your WABA discount.

When you consider the many ways WABA is promoting the health of ourselves, our community, and our environment, it is easy to see that WABA is not just a bicyclist association, but rather a trailblazer for a better future.  Whether they ride for the environment or simply for fun, all WABA members (many of whom are Clean Currents employees and customers!) are making a difference for the better and having fun doing it.

Most of the time, when a business wants to engage with the community, it donates to charities, or volunteers time to help a good cause. At Clean Currents, we've done both of those, and agree that they're great things to do.

But to introduce ourselves to Philadelphia - and to demonstrate with deeds, and not words, what makes Clean Currents a different sort of business - required something more. One of our core principles is "Community Engagement," and we were seeking a way to put that principle into action in a meaningful way.

We needed a project that would go beyond rolling up our sleeves and pitching in, or writing a check.  We wanted a project in which we act as a catalyst and central force to bring the community together to make it happen. And just as importantly, we listened closely to what the community wanted, instead of imposing our vision on the city's residents.

That's how Lots of Power was born. We heard from community leaders that Philadelphia needs to address an abundance of vacant lots. We heard that the city could use some inspiration in these places, which detract from Philadelphia's beautiful neighborhoods and attract crime. We heard that there are already talented students and mentors working on innovative programs in other areas, and there are more talented folks who want to contribute in new ways.

Lots of Power is a community challenge. Working in partnership with Kensington Renewal, AIGA Philadelphia, and the Delaware Valley Green Building Council we are teaming up mentors from the design world with high school-age students to research and develop innovative concepts for specific vacant lots in Kensington. Once bustling with jobs and industry, this neighborhood has at times been the poorest neighborhood in the state of Pennsylvania, and it's home to many troublesome vacant lots.

The teams will submit their concepts to a panel of judges and the public (via social media) who will decide which are the best. Clean Currents and our partners will fund some of the winning projects to actually implement their ideas. We will also work with local community leaders to ensure that these inspirational ideas live on beyond the initial stage. The idea is to catalyze change and then stay engaged.

Lots of Power is Clean Currents at our best. We go to work every day with the mission of empowering people to take control of their future by switching to clean energy and of building a community of likeminded businesses, faith groups, non profits, and people. We don't claim to be able to do it on our own. But when we galvanize our customers and partners to action, great things happen. We hope this campaign will inspire and instruct, and most importantly, build lasting bonds among a community that's trying to construct a cleaner, greener future.

Meghan Tighe, Operations Associate, with John Estey and Stephen Maruszewski of S&C Electric

Last week I had the opportunity to travel to Chicago for WINDPOWER 2013:  the American Wind Energy Association's annual conference and trade show.

As a conference volunteer, my primary responsibility was to administer surveys to representatives of fifty different companies that manufacture components for wind turbines here in the United States. There are approximately 8,000 parts in a wind turbine, and about two-thirds of those parts are sourced from manufacturing plants located in the U.S.

Over the course of three days, I spoke with representatives of companies that manufacture nacelles, towers, bearings, lighting, and what seemed like everything in between.

The characteristics of the manufacturing plants and their parent companies varied. Some supply parts exclusively to the wind industry, whereas for others, the wind industry represents only 5% of their business.

Some are owned by American companies, others represent investments by German, Spanish, Danish, or companies based in other European countries.

Finally, some employ hundreds of people, whereas others have fewer than a dozen employees in their operation. This wide range of companies constitutes a diverse supply chain that employs approximately 75,000 Americans and is part-by-part transitioning our country to a clean energy economy.

Family Business

There's a saying that if you don't know where you've come from, you won't know where you're going. In between collecting the manufacturing surveys, I took a field trip to the headquarters of S&C Electric, a century-old company that builds "switchgear" that helps wind farms move their power to the grid.

My grandfather spent 42 years -- almost his entire career -- working for S&C, and my dad, aunts, uncle, and grandmother spent summers working there, too. I'd been interested in visiting their Chicago plant ever since learning they were involved with the wind industry. It was great last week to have that chance and have a piece of my family's history come full circle.

I can't speak for the other nearly 10,000 attendees at WINDPOWER 2013, but I left the conference feeling educated, energized and ready to return to Clean Currents. While we don't actually build wind projects (yet!), the RECs we purchase on behalf of our customers continue to provide critical financing to wind farms across the country. I look forward to helping expand our reach and ramp up in the industry in the years to come.

$2,380. That's the largest check written in the history of the Green Neighborhood Challenge. Last week, we delivered it to Midtown Academy, a small Baltimore City public charter school where almost 30% of families switched their homes to wind power and earned donations to the school.

Their secret to success? That's what we wanted to find out from GNEC Leader and 4th Grade Teacher, Billy Michels.

What makes the Midtown Academy institution and community unique?

Midtown Academy is a public charter school in Baltimore City. We are a small school with a dedication for preparing our students to be responsible "Global Citizens" here at school and throughout their lifetimes. Global Citizens not only includes our responsibility to others and tolerance of differences, but also our partnership with the planet and its future existence. Due to our size, we are able to be more flexible and creative with our educational approach. We have a tight-knit group of educators and families all dedicated to the success of our students.

Why did you and Midtown choose to participate in the Green Neighborhood Challenge? What were you hoping to get out of the program when you began?

Once I learned about the program, it really was a no-brainer that we had to participate. As we started saying, it was a "wind-wind" scenario. Coupling the drive for a cleaner planet with a fundraiser for the school is an excellent idea. We constantly strive to connect our students with the environment, demonstrating our dependency on it and our responsibility for it. The GNEC program allowed us to drive that connection home and into the Midtown community through the students - the future stewards of the planet. Of course we wanted to raise the money, but we all felt great about the fact that we were also doing a huge favor for the environment. An easy sell.

What were the most effective tactics that you used to educate and motivate Midtown families to sign up for wind power at home?

We approached the Challenge from multiple angles, and I believe it was because of the multiple touch points that we were so successful. Infusing the benefits of clean energy in the curriculum helped the students become clean energy "experts" who were excited to push the challenge and encourage the families to sign up. We presented short skits at the Board meetings, PTO meetings, and to the Parent Reps to pique their interest. We used social media, email blasts, our website, and Friday Fliers to constantly remind and encourage people. Many parents took the Challenge very seriously and did a bunch of networking for us.

What are you most happy about given the success of your campaign?

Honestly, as a self-declared tree hugger, I am more thrilled with 46 families switching to wind power than the fundraiser. Imagining those families encouraging others, starting that ripple effect... that is what excites me the most about the campaign.

What are some examples of projects that the GNEC donation may go towards?

Most likely the funds are going to impact several different projects. On the list so far is a school rain garden, ecological field trips, a Smartboard, and a partnership with the National Aquarium Aquapartners program.

What would you say to another school or group that is thinking about starting a GNEC campaign?

There really is no down side to starting a GNEC campaign. Even if you only get one person to switch, that makes a difference. We need all the help we can get to save our planet, and the true difference makers are going to be the children. Opening their eyes to the severity of the environmental conditions will plant a seed of passion and action for the future. Start good habits before the bad ones start. Change the mentality generation by generation. Making a few thousand dollars for your school isn't so bad either. It really is a "Wind Wind" situation.