Adat Shalom Takes Action

“Last year at the Howard County Earth Day Festival I met Kristal Hansley who told me all about Community Solar.  This was the first I’d heard about it. It sounded too good to be true.  A way to help support bringing solar energy to my community and have rates that were the same or lower than what I was paying now?  And no initial capital cost?  Wow! I was ready to sign right then only to find out that there were no Community Solar plants in the PEPCO area yet.  However, that would soon change.  When I heard that Neighborhood Sun was now accepting subscribers for the Panorama Community Solar plant in Prince George’s County, I was one of the first people to sign up.  While I could’ve gotten a bonus for signing up other people, it sounded far more intriguing when I learned that the bonus for any new subscribers I helped sign up could go to my congregation, Adat Shalom.  A triple win;  helping get a solar power plant built locally, getting a reduction in my electric rate and allowing my congregation to get a bonus check for every congregant I signed up!   I think because it was such an attractive proposition it took a little  while to get other people equally enthused at this terrific proposition. But soon we had started a Climate Action Group at my congregation and were busy spreading the word about this ideal opportunity to help Green our energy grid and save money.

Thanks to the group’s efforts, 60 families have now signed up as Community Solar subscribers.  Several of us were invited to the ground breaking ceremony in the Fall.  And for Earth Day, the local NBC station came to film me as part of their “Changing Climate” program focused on how climate change is already impacting our area and steps people are taking to combat it.  Finally in June this dream project went live, making the PEPCO grid a little bit Greener and our air a little bit cleaner.  Gary Skulnik, the CEO of Neighborhood Sun, even came over to our monthly meeting to answer everyone’s questions about the project.  How cool is that!”

Stu Simon
Head of Social Action Committee at Adat Shalom