GRID Alternatives Bay Area Hosts Electric Vehicle Themed Fundraiser at Google

Submitted by Tracie Troxler on Tue, 06/16/2009 - 10:30am.

On Sunday, May 31st, GRID Alternatives Bay Area hosted our first electric vehicle themed fundraising event at Google campus in Mountain View.

Attendees of the event had the opportunity to see displays and test ride a wide variety of electric vehicles ranging from electric scooters, neighborhood electric vehicles, plug-in hybrids conversions as well as the Stanford Solar Car Project and a handful of Tesla Roadsters.  In addition to the displays and test rides, attendees also heard an informative panel discussion from industry experts on current trends related to clean and electric powered transportation. Click here to see photos from the event.

Thank you to all of our attendees who bought tickets to show their support for GRID Alternatives and help to make solar power more accessible for low income communities!

Thank you also to all of our amazing event contributors and supporters who helped to make this fundraising event an huge success!

Contributors and Supporters
3Prong Power
CalCars
CleanTechies
Electric Auto Association of Silicon Valley
Electric Motorsport
Ethical Approach Electric Vehicle Center
Go Green Motors
Google
Green Wheelin' Scooters
Green Vehicles
Heart of Green
Hesparian 100% Hand Car Wash
Lloyd Wise Motors
MacArthur Park Restaurant
Make Mine Electric, LLC
Marine Memorial Club & Hotel
Pacific Coast Motors
Pacific Gas & Electric
Parducci Wine Cellars
Renewables West
St. Ignatious College Preparatory School
Stanford Solar Car Project
Table Asia Gallery
Terra Pass Tesla Motors
Work of Art Catering

GRID Alternatives San Diego 'Friendraiser'

Submitted by Laurel Crump on Tue, 05/26/2009 - 11:39am.

The staff of GRID Alternatives San Diego invite you and your guests to our first annual "Friendraiser" to celebrate the successful launch of our work in San Diego, and thank everyone who has made it possible. Join us for food, drink, and socializing at the beautiful, LEED certified Sun Harbor Marina as we thank all the volunteers and supporters who have helped the San Diego office get off to such a great start in our first six months. This is a great opportunity to meet and mingle with other volunteers and supporters, and to bring folks who may be interested in learning more about GRID Alternatives and want to get involved. There will be a raffle, snacks, wine, and beer from the solar-powered Stone Brewery. We look forward to seeing you there!

Thursday, June 11th
5:00pm to 8:00pm
Sun Harbor Marina
5000 North Harbor Dr.
San Diego, CA 92106

Directions:

Southbound: I-5 South to Rosecrans Street (CA 209 S. via exit 20)
Left onto North Harbor Drive (Just west of Nimitz Blvd.)
Sun Harbor Marina is on the right side of the street

Northbound: I-5 North to Hawthorne St. (toward the San Diego Airport)
Take Hawthorne to end, and turn right onto North Harbor Drive
Sun Harbor Marina is on the left side of the street.

Parking is available along North Harbor Drive, or across the street at Ace Parking for $5.00/day. If you have any questions, please contact Laurel at 619-239-4743 or lcrump@gridalternatives.org.

YouTube Thank You from a Client

Submitted by Colin Bright on Fri, 05/22/2009 - 1:04pm.

After an oppressively hot two-day install that had temperatures reaching 103 degrees, GRID Alternatives client John took this footage expressing his gratitude to all the dedicated GRID Alternatives volunteers, donors, & partners for their devoted efforts, and he uploaded it to YouTube for everyone to see:

Check out pictures from the installation here. Thanks to all of the volunteers who made this project happen!

Plug In to GRID! - Electric Vehicle Celebration and Fundraiser

Submitted by Zach Franklin on Fri, 05/15/2009 - 12:58pm.

Join GRID Alternatives for Plug In to GRID! - an exclusive afternoon party to learn about plug-in vehicles while raising money to bring renewable energy to low-income families. We will have dozens of electric vehicles on hand to check out and in some cases test ride or test drive - high-end sportscars like the Tesla Roadster, futuristic prototypes displayed by Stanford and PG&E, plug-in hybrid conversions, motorcycles, scooters, neighborhood electric vehicles and much more. We'll also have leaders from the venture capital and EV worlds on hand to talk about the future of electric transportation, including Josh Becker from New Cycle Capital; Sherry Boschert from Plug In America; Anup Jacob from Virgin Green Fund; John Suh from GM Advanced Technology Silicon Valley; and Saul Zambrano from PG&E's Clean Air Transportation Program.

All this plus drinks, hors d'oeuvres, and a silent auction under Google’s solar-powered carport at their campus in Mountain View. Tickets must be purchased in advance - space is limited and this event will sell out. For more information or to purchase tickets online, visit www.gridalternatives.org/plugin. All proceeds support GRID Alternatives' work bringing renewable energy to low-income communities throughout California.

GRID Alternatives San Diego Accomplishes First "Complete" Install

Submitted by Steve Fernandez on Thu, 04/16/2009 - 3:15pm.

• solar

By Miguel Reza

It was a first for many staff and volunteers in San Diego. But, it sure won't be the last. On April 13 and 14, GRID Alternatives took a crack at their first full install in the City of El Cajon about 20 minutes east of downtown San Diego.

Fifteen volunteers joined the ranks of thousands more across the state to help install Photovoltaic (PV) Systems for low income communities, with their first 2.2 kW system install in San Diego County. Habitat for Humanity San Diego is building this particular home with the support of the Jimmy Johnson Foundation. This home is actually the second house that had solar installed, but the first that included volunteers who had been trained and coordinated from the San Diego office.

“We are really excited, said Paul Cleary, San Diego Regional Director. “It’s interesting how this development has a street named Foundation Lane. “I think we have built a great foundation ourselves for future installs of PV systems in San Diego County.”

Although site supervisors traveled from the Bay Area and Los Angeles to help the San Diego team get in tune with the in and outs of an installation, the work was eagerly taken on by volunteers who wanted to learn and give something back to the community.

Final construction of the remaining two homes is scheduled to be completed by October of this year. GRID Alternatives hopes to be there as the other homes are built to make the entire street solar.

GRID Alternatives would like to thank BP Solar for providing the systems panels, Stellar Solar for providing the inverter and BOS, and GroSolar for proving additional supplies, Habitat for Humanity San Diego for coordinating the install and of course, the volunteers who helped install the 2.2 kW system on the property.

GRID Seeks Volunteer Translators!

Submitted by Natasha Cridler on Wed, 04/15/2009 - 3:21pm.

• misc

We are looking for some help translating!! We need volunteers who are fluent in written Tagalog, Korean and Vietnamese to help us translate some documents. The work can be done remotely over the next few weeks. If you are interested, please contact Yvonne Lee at ylee@gridalternatives.org or 510-652-4730 ext 324.

Thanks!

GRID Alternatives Stanford Campus Chapter brings solar to Santa Clara

Submitted by Laurel Crump on Tue, 04/14/2009 - 3:02pm.

The GRID Alternatives Stanford Campus Chapter completed their second group installation in Santa Clara on April 4th and 5th. Thanks to all the Stanford Campus Chapter members for making this possible through their fundraising efforts and hard work on the installation! We also want to acknowledge the leadership and dedication of the two co-presidents, Lewis Hom and Emily Humphreys. Thank you for all of your hard work! Pictures from the installation can be viewed Here.

GRID San Diego holds first Volunteer Training!

Submitted by Natasha Cridler on Fri, 03/27/2009 - 1:17pm.

The GRID San Diego Office kicked off its volunteer opportunities this past Wednesday with its very first volunteer training. The California Center for Sustainable Energy was nice enough to host the GRID staff and volunteers. GRID San Diego has their first install planned for April 13th and 14th and is gearing up for a very busy summer!

Fundraising and Event Volunteer(s) Needed Immediately

Submitted by Tracie Troxler on Fri, 03/27/2009 - 12:09pm.

GRID Alternatives Bay Area (Oakland) is currently recruiting volunteer(s) to help with an upcoming fundraising event. Help is needed from April 1st through May 31st for 6-10 hours a week. The first two weeks will need to be at our office, but the other assistance can be done remotely. We are looking for someone who is comfortable seeking in-kind donations and silent auction items, and enjoys reaching out to the community.This volunteer will also be involved with some tasks related to event coordination.

Volunteers must be available for a minimum of 6 hours per week(preferably up to 10)during 9-5 business hours, and able to commit for 6 weeks.

If you are interested in helping GRID in this role, please contact Tracie Troxler at ttroxler@gridalternatives.org, or at 510-652-4730 X 316.

GRID Alternatives Brings More Solar to Fresno!

Submitted by Tracie Troxler on Fri, 03/13/2009 - 10:18am.

Click on this Picasa link to see GRID Alternatives' most recent installation work in Fresno. Thank you to all of our hardworking volunteers for helping to install this system.