Installation of rooftop solar on the Musician's Hall
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
1. We helped pass the Portland Clean Energy Fund in 2018. The fund will receive revenue from a surcharge on gross receipts from major retailers in Portland. The money will go toward renewable energy and weatherization projects and job training and union apprenticeship programs with a focus on low income and communities of color.
2. We have been active with the Community Solar Program. We are a member of the Community Solar consortia whose goal is to insure the Community Solar rules are equitable. We spread the word to unions and other groups (e.g. schools, churches) about Community Solar. We attended workshops facilitated by the Public Utility Commission who wrote the rules. In a letter we sent to the commission we stated the following:
We believe, as a matter of consumer protection and stability in a new industry, that companies who install Community Solar projects should adhere to high labor standards and use of high quality materials. The solar workforce should be well qualified and highly trained. Workers should receive prevailing wages as well as good quality pension and health benefits. Companies should demonstrate during the pre-certification process that they adhere to these labor standards.
Not only should low-income citizens be able to invest in solar projects, but low-income citizens should also be trained and employed to work in the solar industry. Companies with minority or women ownership should be encouraged to win contracts building and developing solar projects. Community Benefits Agreements, as shown in Portland over the last four years, are one avenue to promote such efforts toward greater equity, and in turn help stabilize the industry.
3. We helped organized a Just Transition Workshop in 2016 in coordination with the Center for Sustainable Economics
4. We sponsored events for Joe Uehlein, Labor Network for Sustainability in 2015 and 2016
5. Musicians Hall solar installation
a) We helped the Musician’s Hall install a10 KW roof top solar panel array through the Feed in Tariff Pilot (FIT) program August 2014. In partnership with the Musician’s Union and Synchro Solar, the solar contractor, we facilitated the FIT application process on behalf of the union. FIT is a program where the owner of the solar panels is paid for excess energy produced by the solar panels.
b) We organized the Musician’s Hall Solar Panel Installation Celebration August 2014.
5. We facilitated article clubs (e.g. Bill McKibben’s “Do the Math” Rolling Stone Article and Naomi Klein’s “This Changes Everything” introductory chapter) 2013-2016
1. We helped pass the Portland Clean Energy Fund in 2018. The fund will receive revenue from a surcharge on gross receipts from major retailers in Portland. The money will go toward renewable energy and weatherization projects and job training and union apprenticeship programs with a focus on low income and communities of color.
2. We have been active with the Community Solar Program. We are a member of the Community Solar consortia whose goal is to insure the Community Solar rules are equitable. We spread the word to unions and other groups (e.g. schools, churches) about Community Solar. We attended workshops facilitated by the Public Utility Commission who wrote the rules. In a letter we sent to the commission we stated the following:
We believe, as a matter of consumer protection and stability in a new industry, that companies who install Community Solar projects should adhere to high labor standards and use of high quality materials. The solar workforce should be well qualified and highly trained. Workers should receive prevailing wages as well as good quality pension and health benefits. Companies should demonstrate during the pre-certification process that they adhere to these labor standards.
Not only should low-income citizens be able to invest in solar projects, but low-income citizens should also be trained and employed to work in the solar industry. Companies with minority or women ownership should be encouraged to win contracts building and developing solar projects. Community Benefits Agreements, as shown in Portland over the last four years, are one avenue to promote such efforts toward greater equity, and in turn help stabilize the industry.
3. We helped organized a Just Transition Workshop in 2016 in coordination with the Center for Sustainable Economics
4. We sponsored events for Joe Uehlein, Labor Network for Sustainability in 2015 and 2016
5. Musicians Hall solar installation
a) We helped the Musician’s Hall install a10 KW roof top solar panel array through the Feed in Tariff Pilot (FIT) program August 2014. In partnership with the Musician’s Union and Synchro Solar, the solar contractor, we facilitated the FIT application process on behalf of the union. FIT is a program where the owner of the solar panels is paid for excess energy produced by the solar panels.
b) We organized the Musician’s Hall Solar Panel Installation Celebration August 2014.
5. We facilitated article clubs (e.g. Bill McKibben’s “Do the Math” Rolling Stone Article and Naomi Klein’s “This Changes Everything” introductory chapter) 2013-2016
