What You’ll Learn
- Find out more about the Salal Foundation’s support for GRID Alternatives, an organization working to advance economic and environmental justice through community-powered clean energy.
As a member of Salal Credit Union, you are helping organizations that are making a difference in your community and across the country. One of our primary focuses of support is efforts to expand access to clean energy. By working to advance the solar power industry, we aim to fight climate change while creating local economic opportunities in the places where our members live, work, and learn.
Around the world, under-resourced communities and communities of color are disproportionately bearing the burden of environmental injustice and climate change. Renewable energy has the power to transform these communities through economic growth and environmental benefits that lead to better health and well-being. That’s why the Salal Foundation has partnered with GRID Alternatives, an organization working to build community-powered renewable energy solutions that advance economic and environmental justice.
GRID creates and installs solar projects that serve low-income households and communities, along with helping these communities access a variety of clean mobility and battery storage incentive programs. Financial support from the Salal Foundation has recently enabled GRID Alternatives to facilitate four hands-on job training opportunities with a focus on making opportunities accessible and inclusive of groups that are traditionally underrepresented in the solar industry, including women, people of color, and those impacted by the criminal justice system. Three training programs were completed in California and one in Colorado, with a total of 40 job trainees taking part. 85% of participants reported that the training helped them get a job.
Here’s what one GRID Alternatives trainee had to say about the program:
“I have been participating in the GRID Alternatives Installation Basics Training (IBT) program for the past 4+ weeks and have been very pleased and impressed with the program. I came into the program expecting to increase my knowledge of solar energy systems, renewable energy in general, and hoped to learn some fundamentals of electricity.
My expectations in all areas were easily surpassed, and I am so appreciative of the opportunity to participate. I have learned more than I’d hoped about the fundamentals of electricity, as well as solar design and solar installation during the program. The field training and installations we participated in was the kind of hands-on experience that actually prepares class members for work in the field.
This type of paid training is precisely what individuals who are reentering the workforce after incarceration, or otherwise facing challenges becoming gainfully employed need in order to succeed.”
—Scott Dittman, GRID Colorado Installation Basics Trainee
