PRESS RELEASE: Over 30 Local Organizations Join San Diego Community Power’s Power Network to Enhance Collaboration on Sustainable Initiatives
- Feb 12, 2025
- by Jill Monroe
NEW COMMUNITY POWER INITIATIVE CREATES OPPORTUNITIES FOR LOCAL COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS TO EXPAND THEIR IMPACT
SAN DIEGO — Dozens of community organizations from across the San Diego region applied to join San Diego Community Power’s recently-launched Power Network, an initiative that will build a coalition of like-minded, regional stakeholders and establish formal partnerships between Community Power and other local groups dedicated to empowering their communities.
“The Power Network reflects Community Power’s commitment to meaningfully reinvest in our local communities by creating new opportunities for community-based organizations,” said Imperial Beach Mayor and Community Power Board Chair Paloma Aguirre. “This initiative will enable us to directly support the communities that we serve as we work together to shape a sustainable and equitable future for the San Diego region.”
Power Network participants now qualify to receive funding to perform services, such as outreach support, on behalf of Community Power as needs arise. They will also be encouraged to share feedback on Community Power programs and shape advocacy efforts around sustainability.
In addition to fostering collaboration and communication between Community Power and its partners, the Power Network will provide participating community-based and nongovernmental organizations with opportunities to expand their impact and guide community reinvestment.
“Joining the Power Network is an opportunity for our organization to work with Community Power to serve our community,” said Jean-Huy Tran, Executive Director of Viet Voices, a nonprofit supporting San Diego’s Vietnamese community through public education and civic engagement. “It will better equip us to connect our community to energy-efficiency programs and resources, while allowing us to help guide future Community Power endeavors.”
Community Power released a “request for qualifications” to solicit a list of potential services from organizations on Oct. 9. It received submissions from 33 organizations that ranged from nonprofits serving Communities of Concern, to sustainability-focused organizations that aim to improve quality of life for people in San Diego and beyond.
Qualified applicants were notified of their acceptance into the Power Network in January and are expected to begin working with Community Power on a project-to-project basis as early as March.
“This strong response to the Power Network demonstrates the desire of our local community organizations to engage with Community Power and the work that we’re doing to build a more sustainable San Diego,” said Community Power Senior Community Engagement Manager Xiomalys Crespo, who is leading the Power Network initiative. “It will allow us to build a diverse, collaborative network that can help us better reach the people we serve and ensure that we’re understanding and meeting the needs of our local communities.”
Organizations accepted into the Power Network include:
Access Youth Academy, an after-school program for low-income youth in San Diego fostering equal access to higher education, healthy lifestyle habits and post-college employment
A Reason to Survive (ARTS), an organization lifting young people in the South County region of San Diego to become confident, compassionate and courageous community builders through the transformative power of creativity
Casa Familiar, a community-based organization providing San Diego County residents with services and programs that enhance the quality of life for underserved and underrepresented communities
Center for Community Energy, an organization accelerating sustainable local energy production and storage through education, research, advocacy, technical advice and consulting
City Heights Community Development Corporation, an organization partnering with residents to enhance the quality of life to create an inclusive and equitable community that embraces the diversity of City Heights, creates opportunities for all and connects individuals to each other
Climate Action Campaign, an organization championing the transition from fossil fuels to clean energy by leading local efforts to advocate for equitable, pollution-reducing policies and community-driven clean energy solutions
Communities for Global Sustainability (C4GS)-ZEDlife, a visionary community development firm restoring communities around the globe through economic ecosystems and sustainable building practices
DCarbon Solutions, Inc., an organization creating a sustainable and equitable energy systems
Electric Vehicle Learning Center, a nonprofit engaging, educating and inspiring the next generation of sustainable transportation engineers and electric vehicles through hands-on, collaborative and applicable learning
Energy Integrity Inc. DBA Home Energy Academy, an educational platform empowering individuals to create and live in electric homes that are efficient, comfortable, safe, healthy and sustainable
Environmental Health Coalition, an organization dedicated to achieving environmental and social justice by organizing and advocating to protect public health and the environment threatened by toxic pollution
Flick Power, an organization providing energy saving technology to affordable housing and multi-family communities
Go Greenish, a student-led organization partnering with student groups across California and beyond to advocate for healthier and more sustainable schools
GreenWatts, a solar equipment manufacturer committed to advancing sustainable energy by providing high-quality, tariff-free solar panel solutions that promote accessible, affordable renewable energy worldwide
GRID Alternatives San Diego, an organization building community-powered solutions to advance economic and environmental justice through renewable energy
Groundwork San Diego Chollas Creek, a nonprofit working at the intersection of social, environmental and climate justice to deliver education, green infrastructure and climate safe neighborhoods
Hammond Climate Solutions Foundation, a nonprofit working to expedite positive change for a just and livable future through climate policy, advocacy, advising and coalition building
I Am Green, Inc., an organization improving the quality of life of front-line and fence-line communities that have been negatively impacted by environmental injustice and climate injustice through educational strengthening and personal development activities
I Love A Clean San Diego County, Inc., a nonprofit leading and inspiring community to actively conserve and enhance the environment
In Good Company, a public benefit corporation transforming climate curiosity into a catalyst for environmental justice through education and engagement
La Maestra Family Clinic, Inc., a health center providing quality healthcare and education, improving overall well-being and bringing underserved communities into the mainstream of society in a caring, effective and culturally and linguistically competent manner
Metropolitan Area Advisory Committee on Anti-Poverty of San Diego County Inc. (MAAC), a nonprofit accelerating the transformation of underprivileged communities by providing programs in the areas of education, housing, health and well-being, economic development and leadership development
Project New Village, a nonprofit building stronger neighborhoods, improving the neighborhood food supply chain, stimulating collective investment in better health and maximizing the impact of investments to address social inequities by improving fresh food access in Southeastern San Diego
QuitCarbon Inc., a B-corporation helping make homes safer, more comfortable and more climate-friendly by providing free assistance with clean energy upgrades
Sacramento Municipal Utility District, a community-owned, not-for-profit enhancing the quality of life for their customers and community by providing reliable and affordable electricity and leading their transition to a clean energy future
SanDiego350, a local grassroots organization building a movement to prevent the worst impacts of climate change through education, outreach and advocacy
San Diego Urban Sustainability Coalition, an organization bringing together Communities of Concern, stakeholders and like-minded organizations through grassroots organizing to inform processes and policy to improve the quality of life and increase opportunities for Southeastern San Diego and other resilient communities
Solana Center for Environmental Innovation, a nonprofit empowering homes, schools, businesses and governments to reach ambitious state waste management, organic recycling requirements and climate action goals
Southern Sudanese Community Center of San Diego, a community center assisting Sudanese and other refugees in their resettlement through education, social, economic and cultural support
SunCoast Market Cooperative, Inc., a customer-owned food cooperative offering natural, local and organic products at reasonable prices
United Women of East Africa, a nonprofit supporting East African women to collaboratively shape the impact on health, education, economic and overall well-being of their families and communities
The Urban Collaborative Project, a nonprofit building a self-healing community by addressing intersections of health and the build environment in partnership with residents of Southeastern San Diego and neighboring communities
Viet Voices, a nonprofit supporting San Diego’s Vietnamese community through public education and civic engagement
Community Power serves nearly a million municipal, business and residential power customers in the Cities of San Diego, Chula Vista, Encinitas, Imperial Beach, La Mesa and National City, as well as the unincorporated communities in the County of San Diego.
Community Power is a not-for-profit public agency that provides competitively-priced clean energy and invests in the community to create an equitable and sustainable future for the San Diego region. Learn more at www.sdcommunitypower.org.
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