Let Us Give Thanks

As we all wind down the work week and gather together around the Thanksgiving table, I wanted to invite you all to share in my expression of gratitude for the good work Let Us Give Thanks we’ve been able to do so far this year. If I tried to write them all down – including how grateful I am for each and every person we’re able to serve and for everything we’ve learned through the effort – I’d be sitting here at the keyboard until Christmas! So I’ve made an attempt below to share just a few highlights. I’d just ask that you please read through them knowing there are many more besides. After all, one of the most beautiful things about gratitude is that it multiplies itself and is never-ending.

Serving Our Hometown. Groundswell was founded in Washington, DC, and we’ve proudly served our neighbors here since 2009. Today, we’re especially grateful to partner with the DC Department of Energy and Environment to support more than 5,000 income-qualified DC residents with more than $2.5 million per year in energy savings through the DC Solar for All program.

Knowledge for Good. Our team learns a lot through what we do, through what works and what doesn’t. That’s why we launched Groundswell Labs to share what we learn through data science and research for the good of our field, towards market transformation. Among the many milestone publications we released this year, the LIFT Solar Everywhere toolkit stands out. Led by Dr. Elvis Moleka and focused on project finance strategies, the LIFT toolkit shares a roadmap for expanding solar access to everyone, everywhere, without regard to their income level.

DOE’s SUNNY Awards for Equitable Community Solar. Located in Northeast DC at the Monastery of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, Groundswell’s very first community solar project enables 50 local families to share clean power and solar savings – including 12 income-qualified families who receive their solar for free. This year, the project was recognized as a finalist for DOE’s SUNNY Awards for its approach to delivering deep savings to low-income households. The Order of Discalced Carmelites was founded by St. Teresa of Jesus of Avila in sixteenth-century Spain. Her vision of an order where all would be equal, and her role as a leader of the Christian community, are especially remarkable given the low regard for women in the public sphere at the time.

A Rural Renaissance. As some of you may know, I’m from a small town in rural Georgia, and one of the greatest joys of my professional career has been learning how to serve my hometown with what I know how to do. This past year, I finished my first book – Rural Renaissance – as a roadmap for people everywhere to put clean energy to good purpose for their hometowns, too.

Building Resilience. About five years ago, Groundswell began working with the City of Baltimore's Office of Sustainability and a team of local partners to install solar and energy storage at community resiliency hubs across the city. As of this month, Groundswell has been selected for a US DOE RACER grant award to take the program statewide across Maryland by developing an equitable, community-driven resiliency framework.

At Groundswell, every Thursday is “Thankful Thursday.” During our morning stand-up meeting, we each take turns sharing at least one thing we’re grateful for. It’s just one of the ways we live out our values, which include joyful service. Each week, the half-hour we spend together overflows with gratitude – for progress, for perseverance, and for each other – and we don’t take any of it for granted.

I pray that your Thanksgiving will be as abundant.