Another trip around the sun

On New Year’s Eve, we encapsulated the past year in a 15-thread Twitter communique. Here’s a summary:

‘tis the end of the year and thus time to recollect our 2019 trip around the sun. We are extremely grateful to our collective community for its support in a record-setting Repower year. A few highlights to share …

• In 2019 we helped 125+ Yolo County homeowners go solar. In aggregate, our 2019 solar clients will save $8.1 million in utility costs and retire 19,101 metric tons of CO2 (over the next 25 years), the equivalent of taking 4,055 cars off the road or planning 315,841 trees. Very cool.

• Solar is now. Primary motivations to go solar are uncertainty about (and mistrust in) PG&E, a desire to reduce and hedge utility costs, and strong ideals about confronting climate change (e.g., “Doing my part.”). A smart, sustainable investment.

• Rewarding projects we orchestrated this year included the Marriott Residence Inn Davis, Davis ACE Hardware, Davis Community Church, Hyatt Place Vacaville, Millennium Child Development Center Dixon, Yolo Food Bank, Lincoln40, Lutheran Church of the Incarnation Davis, and myriad advisory projects for First Northern Bank.

• Kudos to our comrades Valley Clean Energy for fighting the good fight. In particular, thank you to VCE for amending their solar net-metering program, per our recommendations, to make it viable for Yolo County solar owners. The future is bright for VCE.

• Many thanks to THE GREAT Chris Granger and our fellow board members and volunteers at the Cool Davis Foundation, the little engine that CAN make a difference in reducing our community’s carbon footprint. Cool Davis rocks.

• Great appreciation to fellow Davis Community Meals and Housing board members and Paul’s Place capital campaign colleagues for their inspiring + tireless work to help less fortunate members of our community. Paul’s Place is happening.

• To fellow volunteers and capital campaign members who propelled Yolo Food Bank’s beyond successful ($7 million) capital campaign to build and open a new distribution center … wow! You did it. And, thanks too for entrusting Repower to solarize the new facility.

• This is great fun: When homeowners go solar, we donate $500 to their favorite Yolo County nonprofit organization. We call this YoloShines. On behalf of Repower homeowners, we supported 37 organizations this year; over the past week alone, we donated $40,500 to local causes. 2019 YoloShines beneficiaries: Citizens Who Care, City of Davis Housing Trust Fund, CommuniCare Health Centers, UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center, Cool Davis Foundation, Cub Scout Pack 111, Davis Chapter of Project Linus, Davis Community Meals & Housing, Davis Little League, Davis Media Access, Davis Schools Foundation, Empower Yolo, Esperanza Rising Foundation, Family Hope Network, UC Davis Guardian Scholars Program, NorCal Trykers, Interfaith Rotating Winter Shelter, iHouse Davis, Norcal GSP Rescue, Patwin School PTA, Purebreds Plus Cat Rescue, Rivendell Nursery School, Robert E Willett Elementary School, Rotts of Friends, STEAC, Suicide Prevention Yolo County, Paul’s Place, Sutter Davis Hospital Foundation, Davis Phoenix Coalition, University Covenant Church, Yolo Food Bank, Yolo CASA, Yolo SPCA, Yolo Crisis Nursery, Yolo Interfaith Immigration Network and Yolo Land Trust. What a year, with great thanks to Repower homeowners for their support of our community.

We remain humbled, thrive on the opportunity to earn trust, to enrich full and meaningful lives. Solar simpletons, yes, but beyond helping neighbors save money and reduce their carbon footprints, our commitment to strengthen our community is galvanized by the day. Happy 2020.

The Extraordinary Ordinary: Autumn Labbe-Renault

[Originally published September 29, 2015]

By Jennifer Ann Gordon, Repower Yolo's Storyteller

Autumn Labbe-Renault is committed to “bringing community voices together and giving people the tools to be heard.” Executive Director of Davis Media Access (DMA) since 2007, Autumn is in her element. Curiosity never killed this cat! She asks a lot of questions of herself and others, with great results. She said that she sees her role with DMA as “more of a conduit, rather than as a content creator.”

“It makes life so much better to love what you do. To work in community media is to work in change, because of all the sea changes with technology,” she said. With a background in fundraising, Autumn spearheads community engagement for DMA, a nonprofit. She oversees 4-5 staff members and 100-150 volunteers. She is a natural facilitator and keeps the programs running smoothly.. Autumn also produces all DMA's local election coverage.

She said, “I’ve watched people come into Davis Media Access and create content. They discover their voices, which is empowering. And I’ve watched people be transformed in the process. One of my favorite things about Davis Media Access is the communal work space. We don’t have offices, so there is a steady parade of people doing their radio shows. One of these people recently said, ‘I’m here for my weekly therapy.’ Surprising? It delights me that people come in and get so much joy out of what they create. Community media is a way for people to access the tools of media to tell their own stories.”

Autumn’s generous citizenry expands beyond Davis Media Access, though. She has been a member of Soroptimist International (SI) here in Davis—a service organization dedicated to bettering the lives of women and girls—for the last 13 years. She said, “SI provides the opportunity to come together with so many other women committed to making a difference. Soroptomism is big part of my life. These women know how to get stuff done. Soroptimists, as a whole, show up for the community and for each other.”

With fifteen-year-old twins and her oldest daughter starting college this fall, Autumn has been very involved with the schools, in addition to serving as a Worship Associate at the Unitarian Universalist Church, where she occasionally writes and presents pieces.

During the last four years, Autumn gave her all to taking care of her parents, both of whom have now passed. “Creativity had to take a backseat,” she said. A mixed media artist, she’s looking forward to getting back in the saddle again.  

The ampersand, “&,” is Autumn’s favorite symbol.  She said, “It represents the Infinite AND, not ‘or.’ The ampersand is about possibility. As a figurative symbol, I just love it!” Now she’s starting to wonder, “What else can I accomplish in life?”

Autumn Labbe-Renault, thank you for giving our community voice. Thank you for all the love your pour into Davis. Thank you for infusing our town with inspiration and insight. Thank you for being so extraordinary.