Instead of occupying Wall Street, solar power activists occupied rooftops yesterday.
The Occupy Wall Street protest may be dwindling down, but it has inspired other movements around the United States and the world. One such offshoot, which took place yesterday, is Occupy Rooftops. Led by Solar Mosaic, an organization that tries to promote the spread of solar energy use in communities, Occupy Rooftops (aka Community Solar Day) encouraged people to take charge of rooftops that are prime location for solar panels. And yesterday people all over the world (including some in Jerusalem, Cairo, and Tel Aviv) did.
The idea behind Occupy Rooftops was that “anyone, anywhere can start a community solar project to create jobs and clean energy in their community,” said Lisa Curtis, Solar Mosaic’s communications manager.
The economic incentives for promoting solar energy and therefore the connection to the Occupy Wall Street movement were clear to the Solar Mosaic organizers.
“As the protesters leading the Occupy Wall Street movement decry the big banks that crashed the economy, foreclose people’s homes and continue to finance mega fossil fuel projects like the Tar Sands,” they write, “community solar represents one path forward: clean energy created for and by the people.”
“Community solar projects are taking the first steps toward a future where people can move their money out of low-yield savings accounts and into safe and high-yield solar investments that lower carbon emissions and create green jobs and prosperity,” Solar Mosaic writes.
Together, the occupiers of Occupy Rooftops hoped to build the clean energy economy one solar panel at a time.
Read more about solar paneled rooftops::
Lease Your Roof to a Fiddler, a Farmer, or an Independent Power Producer
Abu Dhabi Prince Shames White House by Crowning Court Roof with Solar Panels
Sunday and Ormat Build Largest Solar Roof in the Middle East
Author: Karen Chernick
Much to the disappointment of her Moroccan grandmother, Karen became a vegetarian at the age of seven because of a heartfelt respect for other forms of life. She also began her journey to understand her surroundings and her impact on the environment. She even starting an elementary school Ecology Club and an environmental newsletter in the 3rd grade. (The proceeds of the newsletter went to non-profit environmental organizations, of course.) She now studies in New York. Karen can be reached at karen (at) greenprophet (dot) com.
