All Good Things Must Come To An End
Posted by Sonja Ebron
After nearly 10 years in business, the time has come to turn out the lights at blackEnergy. I’m grateful to our past and present staff, suppliers and vendors, advisors and coaches, and most of all, to our loyal and demanding customers over the years. Personally, this has been the best job of my career, at all times tough and satisfying in equal measure. But bank accounts don’t lie, and the truth is we’ve run out of steam in pursuit of our mission.
When we started 10 years ago, Enron was on top of the heap and California’s utilities were going bankrupt. We wanted to increase the options for Blacks and others vulnerable to mistreatment as energy deregulation moved across the country. We partnered with community organizations like the American Association of Blacks in Energy (Atlanta chapter) and the Concerned Black Clergy of Metro Atlanta for everything from free light bulb swaps to energy town hall meetings to countless workshops on home energy efficiency. We worked with natural gas companies to provide services with lower rates, low-credit options and cash contributions to local organizations working on issues we cared about. We sold tons of energy saving products through our e-commerce store. We took pride in serving the needs of Black communities throughout the country.
I want to share a few lessons learned over the years. First, while we found tremendous value in our focus on the needs of Black people, the problems we wanted to solve really required a solution that worked for everyone. Second, a social enterprise is first and foremost an enterprise. It’s tricky to balance social, environmental and financial goals, but financials must be primary for the other goals to have a chance. Third, having said that, it’s so important to follow your heart where it leads you. Rewards of the heart far exceed all others.
I’m going to rest for a moment or two before dreaming up a new adventure. Those who want to stay in touch can find me on Facebook and Twitter, and in the ether. Toksa Ake! (Lakota: Until next time!)
Atlanta Conference Aims to Increase Participation in the ‘Green’ Movement
Posted by Sonja Ebron
The green movement is taking on more color as professionals from coast to coast prepare to convene at a first-of-its-kind conference in Atlanta, September. 23-26. Top African-American, Latino, Asian and Native American professionals from around the country in the academic, government, business, recreation and nonprofit sectors will share their expertise at the event: Breaking the Color Barrier in the Great American Outdoors.
The conference will encourage participation in the “green” economy and showcase people of color engaged in sports, such as mountain climbing, skiing, sailing and scuba diving. It also will highlight the efforts of Americans of diverse ethnic and cultural heritage to protect the environment and the scenic treasures in the nation’s public parks, forests and wildlife refuges.
Audrey and Frank Peterman, conference organizers and long-time outdoor enthusiasts, have been promoting America’s natural beauty to communities of color for the past 14 years. When the Petermans took a cross-country trip in 1995 and discovered the Badlands, the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone and Yosemite national parks, they saw very few other Black people in the parks. Inspired to alter that picture, they launched a campaign to publicize the parks to Americans of color.
School gardens teach going green
Posted by Lisa Gilbride
I was watching the news a couple of months ago when an interesting “good” news story caught my attention. It was about an elementary school in Atlanta where the students were growing their own garden on campus. I wish I remembered the name of the school so I could plot their progress as it was a brilliant idea! These kids were growing different kinds of vegetables, and the harvests were being used in the school cafeteria, thus saving the school money. They gave away what the school didn’t use to local food banks.
Now what if this trend caught on in schools and colleges all across America? Maybe they could go beyond gardening and learn how to make their schools even more self-sustaining. Perhaps they could learn how to harness the sun, wind and rain by building systems that would get them off the local utilities and cut the school system’s overhead costs. Maybe there would be more money for their education!
As we hear all the time, our children are our future. It’s true!!! Kudos to the teachers and organizations that developed this learning experience for their students!! I hope to see more “good” news stories about our younger generations thinking outside the box. Like I said a couple of posts ago, no idea should go unnoticed, as one of them could spark a trend and get young people excited about helping not only themselves but those around them. That is what community is all about!
Come on young people everywhere! I challenge you to follow the lead of this Atlanta school and dream green! Anything is possible when you put your mind and passion into something you believe in. One person CAN make a difference!
– by Lisa Gilbride
Collecting rain water for a green garden
Posted by Lisa Gilbride
Last year much of the South experienced severe droughts, so severe that many people were put on water restrictions. My Mom lives in North Carolina, where everyone was asked to water their lawns only on certain days and to limit flushing toilets. Mom has a beautiful garden that she spends a great deal of time trying to keep beautiful. With the water restrictions, she was concerned that she would lose all her hard work. She went and bought two 55 gallon rain barrels for $60/ea and installed them to her gutters on the house to collect rain that falls on the roof. She added spigots to the bottom so she could not only attach a hose and water her garden, she could also use the water to flush the toilets, thus conserving water from the municipality.
I thought this was such a great idea! I looked at the many rain collection systems that are available on the web and they range from simple barrels like my Mom’s to elaborate systems with filtration and water purification. With the more elaborate systems, you can even use the water for other things like bathing and cooking.
I asked my Mom how long it takes to fill a barrel and she said 1/4″ of rainfall fills them both to the top! Think of the possibilities if more people used this simple system!!!
And that is how my Mom keeps her garden “green”.
– Lisa Gilbride
Atlanta Light Swap 2009
Posted by Sonja Ebron
We gave away 700 bulbs last Sunday and expanded the event to serve three Black churches in metro Atlanta. See the press release below:
Saving Money One Light Bulb At A Time
2nd Annual Light Bulb Swap Helps Consumers Save Money Through Energy Conservation
April 26, 2009 (ATLANTA) – On Sunday, April 26, 2009, the Concerned Black Clergy of Metropolitan Atlanta, in partnership with blackEnergy and Georgia Interfaith Power & Light, distributed 700 compact fluorescent light bulbs in Metro Atlanta with a message of sustainable living during the 2nd Annual Light Bulb Swap. This free event was designed to introduce a cost effective way of “Going Green” to the African American community and in turn encourage them to be proactive in conserving energy and saving money.
After Service at True Light Baptist Church
The Cuban Counterpoint
Posted by Sonja Ebron
Any post-Katrina disaster response would have been better than the fiasco three years ago in New Orleans, but the response to Gustav was startling. I was happy to see a generally well-orchestrated mass evacuation of New Orleans last week as the hurricane approached. Mass transit in the city had never worked so well. And was I dreaming or were they flying people out of town? I agree with Kanye that “George Bush doesn’t like Black people,” and Katrina’s devastation caused no change of like minds or hearts. So give thanks that the Republican convention schedule motivated the government to get it right this time.
What In The World Is A Backdraft Damper?
Posted by Sonja Ebron
Product selection is not my strong suit. We offer nearly 1000 energy efficiency products at blackEnergy, but I’m better at selling them than deciding what to sell. It’s often a challenge to explain just exactly what an item is supposed to do to help save energy, so I spend a fair amount of time trying to figure it out. I’ve just learned about the backdraft damper.
Community Is The Solution
Posted by Sonja Ebron
By far, the best part of my job is visiting with community organizations and seeing the great work they do to help people better their lives. Whether they’re working on housing, health, education or women’s empowerment, the people in these organizations choose to spend their working hours and careers improving the odds for other people. There’s an obvious cultural difference between for-profit corporations and nonprofits, and it shows up clearly in the attitudes and enthusiasm with which people in community organizations do their jobs.
Georgia Avenue Food Co-op
Posted by Sonja Ebron
I had the great pleasure of visiting one of the Georgia Avenue Food Co-ops last week. The first co-op was started 17 years ago by Chad Hale and Brian Lowring, current and former pastors of the Georgia Avenue Church in the Grant Park/Summerhill area of Atlanta. The number has now grown to four co-ops serving 200 families. Designated members collect food for their co-op each Tuesday and Thursday from the Atlanta Food Bank, then distribute it among the families in the basement of the Georgia Avenue Church. Most of the families are headed by women, including many grandmothers raising grandchildren. I found myself inspired and encouraged by their example of cooperative economics.
Engineers Are Lazy Bloggers
Posted by Sonja Ebron
We started this blog last December, and I have managed a grand total of six posts since then. That’s just lazy, right? In truth, I’m one of the hardest working women in energy, and I have too much to do. Ramping up a new sales program for our utility services, developing a training module for our summer interns, maintaining inventory and getting the right stuff timely shipped to the right people, driving traffic to our website for More Money, and the list goes on… got a sista burning both ends of the candle.
But this blog is important for lots of reasons, mostly because I get to remember — and tell you –what we’re all about. So I’m committing myself to more frequent posts, starting now. Of course, I also remember why I became an engineer: I want to work smart, not hard, so I always try to think of ways to get the job done with the least effort. In that vein, I’m re-posting a piece I wrote three years ago on the need for Black leadership in the energy field. How’s that for lazy? Anyway, it’s about a speech I gave on the topic to the American Association of Blacks in Energy. I was preaching to the choir. Here goes: