A (great) night at the council chambers

I have great admiration for Davis city council members. Incredibly devoted, immensely under appreciated. As individuals and a council, they can’t please everyone with every position/vote, but this group’s solid.

Admiration to the side, I usually loathe attending council meetings. Last night was different. Here’s why:

First my son was Youth Mayor for the Day (actually, for about 10 minutes, but who’s counting?). He crafted a proclamation seeking more sports fields — baseball especially — for our kids. And he learned about the sausage-making, governance process. Pretty cool for a 13-year-old, and kudos to all council members (particularly Mayor Dan) for opening their chamber.

Second, there was a simple proclamation trumpeting the upcoming (May 3) Big Day of Giving. Click here to learn more about this extraordinary, regional event. For us, we’re living a Big YEAR of Giving through our Yolo Shines program.

Third, my comrades at Sierra Energy were honored as the annual Environmental Business of the Year by the City. Grand kudos to CEO Mike Hart, a longtime friend and partner in crime. I had the pleasure of helping Mike start Sierra Energy 14 years ago and it has been a pleasure to witness the company’s emergence … potential game-changing, waste-to-energy technology. Learn more about recent developments here.

A final observation from the peanut gallery: A great quality of our community is the preponderance of smart people who care. A lot. Ours is a deeply-engaged hamlet. Conversely, a not-so-great quality of our community, if/when you want to get something done: A critical mass of intelligent citizens who care. We have a lot of people who “think it” versus “do it.” And, it hamstrings our ability to move forward.

Sierra Energy is doing it, not merely thinking about it. Bravo!

Tesla Model 3 + Solar PV: Perfect Pair?

A Repower homeowner and Tesla Model S driver asked me this weekend: What impact will Tesla’s just-announced, $35k, 215-mile-per-charge Model 3 have on the solar business? Timely question that prompted navel gazing, given last week’s announcement of the Model 3, the deposit I placed to purchase one, and Repower’s mission to help as many homeowners as possible go solar.

Good question, I replied. Wow, I pondered. Big, I think. Perhaps a game-changer/tipping point for the electric vehicle industry. My thoughts were shallow and streaming, yet to codify.

(BTW, Chuck Jones, one of Repower Director John Walter’s Stanford pals, has a worthy article in Forbes about the Model 3.)

From a car-driving, solar-consuming perspective, a few thoughts:

- Tesla CEO Elon Musk tweeted Saturday that 276,000 $1k deposits have been placed for the Model 3 … in two days. (IMO: The Chevy Bolt is DOA.)

- Today’s reasonably-priced, all-electric vehicles, including my Nissan Leaf, have limited range. Therefore, if you own a contemporary electric vehicle (sans a Tesla S or X), your demand for electricity is moderate.

- Repower homeowners are generating solar electricity for an amortized cost of $0.10 (or less) per kWh.

- For every kWh of electricity, you receive ~4 miles of charge.

You can see where I’m going. For a dollar, you can drive 40 miles (with no emissions). With the Model 3’s extended range, drivers will rack up more electrically-charged miles (versus hybrid electrics like the Volt or my range-constrained Leaf). And, with Tesla’s ever-expanding network of super charging stations, road-tripping to the Bay Area, SoCal, Oregon, et al is now feasible … with a $35k (pre-tax credit) car. At no cost.

What’s the impact on solar for homeowners with extended range electric vehicles? Let’s say you drive 15,000 miles per year and charge your vehicle 50% of the time at home (7,500 miles/year). Divide 7,500 (miles) by 4 (miles/kWh) and you would consume 1,875 kWh of electricity. If your solar system generates ~ 1,400 kWh per kW of capacity, you would need an additional 1.3 kW of solar panels. The math is simple and the trend is, well, trending.

And, the punchline: You purchase a Model 3 for $25,000 (after tax credits); drive 15,000 miles per year (with 50% charging done at home); maintenance with Tesla’s is free; and, your annual automotive expense would be $187.50 for carbon-free, no compromise driving.

That’s cool. Contact us today if you own or are considering acquiring an electric vehicle. 

The future is bright.

THE Case for Optimism on Climate Change

Unfortunately, there are a lot of green-washing blowhards who take the stage and preach. Their ideals are -- in our view -- always in the right place, but pragmatically and practically, they're oftentimes unrealistic. Right, left or center, Al Gore orchestrates facts and anecdotes into an inspiring crescendo. His perspective is second to none.

From TED2016:

Al Gore has three questions about climate change and our future. First: Do we have to change? Each day, global-warming pollution traps as much heat energy as would be released by 400,000 Hiroshima-class atomic bombs. This trapped heat is leading to stronger storms and more extreme floods, he says: "Every night on the TV news now is like a nature hike through the Book of Revelation." Second question: Can we change? We've already started. So then, the big question: Will we change? In this challenging, inspiring talk, Gore says yes. "When any great moral challenge is ultimately resolved into a binary choice between what is right and what is wrong, the outcome is foreordained because of who we are as human beings," he says. "That is why we're going to win this."

P.S. (24 May 2016): Just read a terrific and timely Wired Magazine Q&A with Al Gore: 10 Years After An Inconvenient Truth, Al Gore May Actually Be Winning

YoloShines: Repowering community organizations

When we conceived RepowerYolo, we made two conscious commitments:

1. We will not solicit homeowners. No advertising, cold calls, direct mail or commission sales people.

2. We will reinvest in and support local nonprofit organizations; in other words (excuse the trite phase), repower our community.

The obvious residue of not knocking on doors, cold-calling homeowners, or peppering mail boxes with sales collateral is that we will sell less solar. We can live with that, because we strongly believe markets are conversations and nobody likes to be solicited (sans their permission). And, by eliminating sales/marketing/advertising costs, we significantly reduce the cost of going solar for friends and neighbors.

Furthermore, many an eye has been rolled at our community fundraising efforts: Why are you donating large amounts of money to nonprofits (when you could/should be pocketing the money to send your kids to college)? In simple terms, we believe RepowerYolo is a community program and our commitment to — and support of — local nonprofit organizations is a community dividend.

This community dividend is growing. To date, we have donated upwards of $23,000 to more than 25 local causes on behalf of RepowerYolo homeowners. And, in 2016, we created YoloShines: Every time a homeowner goes solar, we donate $500 in their name to their favorite Yolo County nonprofit.

The first four recipients of YoloShines donations in 2016 are Progress Ranch, Yolo Crisis Nursery, Davis Schools Foundation, and River City Rowing Club. 2016 is off to a great start … the future is bright for both homeowners who go solar and nonprofit organizations that stitch the fabric of our community.

Community Choice Energy: Coming to Yolo County?

I’ve had the — sometimes frustrating, but ultimately rewarding — pleasure of working with a team of Davis residents to evaluate Community Choice Energy (CCE) for the city and county. Over the past year, our Community Choice Energy Advisory Committee has taken a deep dive into CCE: Does it make sense for our community and, if so, what’s the best approach? Last night we had a productive discussion with the Davis Chamber of Commerce's Government Relations Committee, and our committee is nearing a recommendation to the City Council.

In simple terms, CCE provides PG&E ratepayers with a second option for their electricity source. Competition — providing customers with options — is, of course, good for a market, particularly when the sole provider is a regulated, investor-owned monopoly. Under CCE programs, PG&E continues to manage the grid and deliver customer service. Status quo. Except, CCE (it’s happening in Marin and Sonoma Counties) reduces electricity costs for ratepayers while delivering cleaner energy.

CCE is not a slam dunk, here or elsewhere. Utilities will continue to fight to protect their entrenched monopolies. Ultimately, consumer choice is good … let the market work. And, if we can develop additional renewable energy resources locally (and keep the dollars here, versus filling PG&E’s pockets), our local economy will benefit.

You can learn more about the City’s CCE assessment here.

And, on Feb. 11 (6:30 at the Vet’s) we are facilitating a public forum to elaborate CCE and engage community input. Please join.

Or, of course, feel free to give us a call if you'd like to learn more.

Lions and tigers and bears, oh solar!

Over the past month or so, three regulatory and financial developments have strengthened the investment viability for homeowners who go solar. I love lions, tigers and bears ... let's review the three solar life springs.

1. The 30% Federal Investment Tax Credit was, surprisingly, extended for four years. Originally set to expire at the end of 2016, the tax credit was extended thanks to a bit of horse-trading between  Dems and Republicans in Congress. Via the Omnibus spending bill, Republicans were granted removal of the 40-year ban on exportation of domestic oil. Democrats received an extension of the solar tax credit. An all-of-the-above energy approach? Yes, but to the benefit of homeowners who repower with solar.

2. Today, the California Public Utilities Commission extended solar net-metering for PG&E (and the other two investor-owned utilities') ratepayers. This comes on the heels of the PUC grandfathering -- for 20 years -- net-metering for existing solar customers. Big deal? Yes. It is a continuation of compensating PG&E solar customers at the full retail rate. Doesn't get better. Here's a good overview of the PUC's decision.

3. Commencing January 1, 2016, PG&E raised residential electricity rates 8.7%. Across the board. Predictable but painful (for homeowners who do not have solar). But, higher rates increase the avoided cost -- what you would pay PG&E -- for solar homeowners, thus boosting their investment returns.

Importantly, extensions of the tax credit and net-metering programs temper the urgency to go solar. Homeowners we work with obviously want to monetize the tax credit and receive full value for their solar-generated electricity. They're locked. That said, the primary urgency in their decision is twofold: Do the right thing (for environmental reasons) and stop paying PG&E.

Please contact us if you would like to elaborate any or all of the above. Quite a trifecta in the solar world, and a great month for Yolo County homeowners.

Good day, sunshine

The sun came out today. (Okay, sorta.) And, with it marked the arrival of a new batch of RepowerYolo t-shirts. We think they're priceless; in reality, Davis Sports Shop cranked them out for a whopping $9 a pop. While priceless to us, for our clients, colleagues and friends, they're free. My kids are a different story ... I can't bribe them to "wear a walking billboard; c'mon, dad!"

Four hot-off-the-screenpress versions:

- Sunlight is a terrible thing to waste

- Good day, sunshine

- Go hug a solar panel

- The sun always rises

When you're next journeying to or through Downtown Davis, swing by and grab some swag.

Make plans: 2016 Capay Organic events

Capay Organic and Farm Fresh to You are Yolo County treasures. At our home, it's a bi-weekly treat to receive our produce box ... inspires us to cook new and healthy eats. Better yet, a visit or two to Capay Organic's beautiful farm in Capay Valley is a treat. Check that: A must do! 

Get to know your farmer, harvest your own fruits and veggies, ride the tractor-tram, picnic near the fields and participate in Capay's fun farm activities.

Here's their just-released 2016 schedule of events:

February 25 | Seasonal Dinner*, Mulvaney's B&L Restaurant, Sacramento (Benefiting the Health Education Council) 

March 12 | Farm Tour, Capay

April 16 | Farm Tour and 5K Fun Run*, Capay

May 7 | Cinco de Mayo Festival*, Capay

June 4 | Outstanding in the Field, Capay

July 16 | Capay Tomato Festival*, Capay

August 20 | Farm Tour, Capay

September 17 | Capay Crush Festival*, Capay

October 15 | Farm Tour, Capay

November | Seasonal Dinner*, San Francisco (Benefiting the SF-Marin Food Bank)

FARM TOUR ADMISSION:$5 per adult | Children 12 and under FREE!

No RSVP necessary for Farm Tours. Just come out and have fun!

FESTIVAL ADMISSION:$15 per adult | Cinco de Mayo

$20 per adult | Capay Tomato

$15 per adult | Capay Crush

Children 12 and under FREE!

For more information go to WWW.FARMFRESHTOYOU.COM

THE GREAT Reed + Susan Youmans

I broke bread and had a drink (okay, two) last night with one of my faves, Reed Youmans. Reed and his family own Hallmark Properties, a business -- I see it as a platform -- that enables them to enrich our community. The Youmans' are beyond benevolent; they put their community first. 

Our bread-breaking, drink-drinking gathering was a belated celebration of Reed and his wife, Susan's, recent honor: the Covell Award (aka, the Davis Citizen of the Year). Here's a great article elaborating the award.

Beyond cool. Extremely proud. And, Reed was floored when he was notified of the award, which floored and moved me.

Join the community in celebrating Davis and honoring Reed and Susan Saturday, February 13 at the Chamber of Commerce's annual awards gala. You can learn more – and buy tickets - here.

The Extraordinary Ordinary: Koen Van Rompay

[Originally published November 4, 2015]

By Jennifer Ann Gordon, Repower Yolo's Storyteller

Koen Van Rompay is a radiant man. “I learned the essence of life. Life is much more satisfying when you share what you have,” he said. And share he does. A Doctor of Veterinary Medicine and a Ph.D., Koen is a Full Research Virologist at UCD who lives a life of compassion and care in the lab…and everywhere else, too.

His AIDS research has contributed significantly to the development of a therapeutic and preventive drug. “I am but a humble link in the chain,” he said. But when Koen takes his lab coat off, he tackles the AIDS epidemic in a different way. Sahaya International.

Koen founded Sahaya International to  address the social aspects of the AIDS epidemic: poverty, illiteracy, and women having no rights. From its beginnings in India, Sahaya has grown to Kenya, Vietnam, Philippines and Sri Lanka. Director Andy Lauer made an award-winning 20-minute documentary about Sahaya International, Sahaya…Going Beyond, which was narrated by Jeremy Irons.

In 1997, Koen went to India to present his HIV research at an AIDS conference.  He said, “The poverty was overwhelming. I asked myself, ‘How can the world close their eyes?’ I had no social training. I was not a politician. But I had to do something. If I could permanently improve the life of just one child, that would be good.”

“I think people  have to feel loved and have hope. Hope is the strong medicine.”

How did a young Belgian veterinarian come to be an AIDS researcher at UC Davis? After becoming a veterinarian, Koen wondered, “Whatever was I going to do? I needed courage.” His passion was wildlife and zoo animals. He found inspiration when Michael Jackson came to Belgium and sang Man In the Mirror:

I'm starting with the man in the mirror

I'm asking him to change his ways

And no message could have been any clearer

If you want to make the world a better place

Take a look at yourself, and then make a change

(Michael Jackson)

Then Koen read Zoo Animal Medicine, which was edited by Dr. Murray Fowler from UC Davis. This was the first he had heard of UC Davis. He applied for a scholarship to UCD through the Belgian American Educational Foundation. The one-year fellowship was his segue into HIV research. Five years later, Koen had earned his Ph.D.  And he has been here in Davis ever since.

Koen travels to India every winter to see how the children are doing. He “emptied his bank account” to build a five bedroom guesthouse in one of the villages, so that Sahaya supporters, social workers and others would have a place to stay. The guesthouse is next to the schools and one of Koen’s favorite things is to play with the children during their recesses. Some of the children had never seen the ocean, even though they are only two hours away. So Koen takes the children on field trips to the beach to introduce to them the joys of sand and surf. 

“An act of kindness inspires. Be a drop of water that creates a ripple,” said Koen. “Each of us can make a difference, if we just take a step.”

Koen, thank you for exuding such joy, courage, affection, compassion and generosity...for being love-in-action. Thank you for helping rid the world of AIDS. Thank you for empowering women and saving the lives of children and their families. Thank you for starting a love epidemic that floods our community and reaches the world’s most impoverished places. Thank you for being so extraordinary.

The Opportunity to Grow Fresh Food and Understanding

[Originally published October 22, 2015]

Repower Yolo is a Gold Sponsor of Yolo Farm to Fork's School Programs. When you go solar with us, we'll donate $500.00.

The benefits of all the love, sweat, time, dollars and meticulous care showered upon Holmes Junior High’s garden are rippling outward. Integrated, experiential learning about the beauty of fresh, nutritious food and the art of preparing it deliciously are becoming available to all. Who threw the first stone that is causing all the ripples? Keri Hawkins, Garden Coordinator of Holmes Junior High’s gardening project.

"Thank you for supporting our school gardens! They are a wonderful place for children to unwind and learn through doing."

--Keri Hawkins, Garden Coordinator, Holmes Junior High

In 2012, Keri inherited a neglected, overgrown, weedy mess. But she saw the potential right away to cultivate far more than vegetables, herbs and flowers. The art and cooking classrooms opened to the garden with its courtyard, and the garden could benefit both with gorgeous subjects for still lifes and fresh ingredients for culinary masterpieces and learning about nutrition.

She envisioned the impact the garden could have on the lives of children of all physical and mental abilities. Keri also saw the potential of the garden to provide the enriching experience for collaboration amongst the diverse students. Keri said that her aim is “to make the garden accessible to students of all abilities and to have the students working side by side.”

In 2013, Keri and the students replanted the garden to be low maintenance. In 2014, she had the idea to sell pumpkins in order to raise the money for the gardening program. The Esparto Lions donated the pumpkins and $1,000 was raised, with a matching grant fromTandem Grants. “The garden is truly a community garden. The more people involved, the greater the community ownership of the garden,” she said.

Keri applied her Masters in Architecture to designing tables that were accessible by wheelchair. She gave the designs to Holmes' tech teacher, Lance Gunnersen, and his students, who built the tables and entered them in the State Fair. After the fair, the tables came home to the courtyard next to the garden.

Keri then designed a potting table accessible to all users. She and her enthusiastic team pulled out everything from the existing Zen Garden, a part of the overall garden and courtyard areas, and Dave Leveque, Holmes teacher Deanna Leveque’s husband, built the framework for the Zen Garden. Sadly, with the drought, the water to the garden was cut-off and everything died.

After the potting table came a three-tier planter box, again with the idea that students of all abilities would be able to access it. Avery Phimmasehn, a BoyScout, helped design the planter box, and then built it to achieve his Eagle Scout rank. The planter now boasts seasonal beauty and bounty, replete with beets, broccoli, carrots, celery, kale, lettuce, kohlrabi and cilantro, which are quite often enjoyed immediately after picking.  Special Ed life skills are taught in the garden, where students learn about the tools and feel the utter satisfaction of using them.

The garden and courtyard are thriving, but there one more step before it can be truly accessible to all. In wet weather, the wheelchairs get stuck in the muddy pathways. Keri said that, to remedy this, they need the garden's remaining area graded. And they also need decomposed granite for the space. Please EMAIL KERI if you'd like to help with the grading or donate the decomposed granite. 

Yolo Farm to Fork’s Dig In Yolo! Restaurant Fundraising Campaign makes Davis Farm to School programs possible. For example, last year, Yolo Farm to Fork contributed $250 to Holmes’s garden for garden supplies and plants, with the PTA matching the amount.

These restaurants are digging in to help educate Yolo’s children to live sustainably throughout the month of October. Eat well and help Yolo’s children learn about fresh, healthy food, recycling, and respecting the planet and one another.

Bon  Appétit!

The Savory Café

722-A Main Street, Woodland

DIG IN SPECIAL: Organic Butternut Squash Gnocchi with Lamb Sogu

Café Italia (The Dancing Tomato Café)

1121 Richards Boulevard, Davis

MENTION DIG IN YOLO!

Maria’s Cantina

306 Sixth Street, Woodland

MENTION DIG IN YOLO!

Dos Coyotes (both Davis locations)

2191 Cowell Blvd., Davis | 1411 W. Covell Blvd. #7

DIG IN SPECIAL: Banh Mi Taco Plate

Jack’s Urban Eats (All Locations)

DIG IN SPECIAL: Fresh Harvest Salad

Broderick Road House

319 Sixth Street, West Sacramento

DIG IN SPECIAL: Fiesta Burger

Guinivere’s

317 Second Street, Woodland

MENTION DIG IN YOLO!

Kitchen 428

First and Bush Streets, Woodland

MENTION DIG IN YOLO!

Osteria Fasulo

2657 Portage Bay East #8, Davis

MENTION DIG IN YOLO!

El Macero Country Club’s Sugar Pie Pumpkin Bread Pudding and Sunlight

Repower Yolo is a Gold Sponsor of Yolo Farm to Fork's School Programs. When you go solar with us, we'll donate $500.00.

What does solar energy have to do with Chef Rachael Levine’s Sugar Pie Pumpkin Bread Pudding, her new creation for Yolo Farm to Fork’s Dig In Yolo! Restaurant Campaign? For starters, both benefit Yolo’s children.

RepowerYolo, solar energy locally grown, is a Gold Sponsor of Dig In Yolo! In support of Yolo Farm to Fork’sschool programs, we’re donating $500 for every Yolo Farm to Fork supporter who goes solar with us.

El Macero Country Club’s Chef Levine created her Dig In Yolo! special especially to benefit Yolo Farm to Fork’s school programs. Partake. Enjoy. Invite your friends. For every order of the special, El Macero Country Club donates $5. Gladness! You now have the perfect excuse to eat dessert.

Here is the skinny, straight from El Macero Country Club:

"El Macero Country Club has partnered with Yolo Farm to Fork to open our private dining program to the local community. We are delighted to share our passion for sustainable, healthy living by helping to raise awareness and funding for edible school gardens. Our Club menus feature fresh, seasonally inspired dishes that range from casual and fine cuisine. The month of October features a Sugar Pie Pumpkin Bread Pudding, $5 of each sale will be donated to Yolo Farm to Fork. Please join us Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday evenings. Service is from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. and by reservation only. Club dining room attire is business casual. To make a reservation, please call 530-753-3363.”

Bon Appétit, Yolo County!

RISE and Shine! Dining Out Helps Yolo's Kids

[Originally published October 9, 2015]

Repower Yolo is a Gold Sponsor of Yolo Farm to Fork's School Programs. When you go solar with us, we'll donate $500.00.

It really does takes a whole village to raise a child. And we’re continually astounded at the willingness and generosity of Yolo’s citizens to dig in. Whether the harvest is sunshine, vegetables, or healthier living, we celebrate all the good people who are repowering our community with their passion, expertise and time by teaching Yolo’s children to live sustainably. RISE (Recycling Is Simply Elementary) is a Davis Farm to School program that receives support from Yolo Farm to Fork.

Joy Klineberg has been overseeing RISE at Willett Elementary School for four years now, where she trains sixth graders to train their schoolmates to recycle. “When I was PTA president, the recycling role needed filling. I took it on and the rest is history,” she said. Each sixth grader serves two 1-week shifts during the year. The RISE student mans the recycling and trash area to helps their compadres understand what goes where and why. The peer-to-peer approach is really effective.  

Joy donates her stipend for overseeing the schools’ recycling from the District to help fund the sixth graders’ outdoor education week in Pollock Pines. The district pays her stipend from the money recycling saves them. (It’s costly to haul all the garbage away to landfill.)

“RISE gives me a chance to interact with the kids,” she said. “I’m charmed by the little first grader who is trying to throw her sandwich away when no one is looking.” Joy also presents Why Recycling Matters, a PowerPoint, to the school children.

Davis Farm to School’s role is on the administrative side. They advocate for and manage RISE, negotiate the stipend, and provide pilot programs for all the elementary schools. “RISE is in the Davis junior high schools to varying degrees, although most of them don’t do composting,” said Joy.

We love being a Gold Sponsor of Farm to Fork’s Dig In Yolo! Restaurant Fundraising Campaign that raises money for Davis Farm to School’s programs, including RISE. Here’s the skinny. Some Yolo County restaurants have created Dig In Yolo! Specials and, every time you order the special, the restaurant will donate to Davis Farm to School. Other restaurants are contributing in different ways. 

These restaurants are digging in to help educate Yolo’s children to live sustainably throughout the month of October. Bon  Appétit!

The Savory Café

722-A Main Street, Woodland

DIG IN SPECIAL: Organic Butternut Squash Gnocchi with Lamb Sogu

Café Italia (The Dancing Tomato Café)

1121 Richards Boulevard, Davis

MENTION DIG IN YOLO!

Maria’s Cantina

306 Sixth Street, Woodland

MENTION DIG IN YOLO!

Dos Coyotes (both Davis locations)

2191 Cowell Blvd., Davis | 1411 W. Covell Blvd. #7

DIG IN SPECIAL: Banh Mi Taco Plate

Jack’s Urban Eats (All Locations)

DIG IN SPECIAL: Fresh Harvest Salad

Broderick Road House

319 Sixth Street, West Sacramento

DIG IN SPECIAL: Fiesta Burger

Guinivere’s

317 Second Street, Woodland

MENTION DIG IN YOLO!

Kitchen 428

First and Bush Streets, Woodland

MENTION DIG IN YOLO!

Osteria Fasulo

2657 Portage Bay East #8, Davis

MENTION DIG IN YOLO!

The Extraordinary Ordinary: Sandy Lynne Holman

[Originally published October 7, 2015]

By Jennifer Ann Gordon, Repower Yolo's Storyteller

Sandy Lynne Holman lets her light shine brightly. A Davis resident and UCD alumna, Sandy is on a mission to “encourage people to love themselves and others, and share power and resources in the world.”

Regionally and nationally recognized as a leader in social justice, equity, and “anti-hate” programs, talks, workshops and children’s literature, Sandy founded and directs The Culture C.O.-O.P. and United In Unity. She has given keynote addresses, served on boards, consulted with diverse organizations, and won numerous awards. Most recently, she was donned the John Garamendi Woman of the Year 2015 award. “The awards have been overwhelming and are valuable because they draw attention to the tough work I have to do,” she said. “We are living in a world where our ability to work together is critical. A cornerstone of success is understanding and serving diverse people. We become more effective when we understand cultural differences and similarities.”  

There is nothing theoretical about Sandy or her work. She practices what she calls “active research,” where social theory is matched with practical application. She goes into the trenches daily…shoulder-to-shoulder, vis-à-vis, hand-in-hand, and heart-to-heart, with the people who need her most. Battling entrenched beliefs and hatred can be brutal work, but her faith and love sustain her.

Her book, Grandpa, Is Everything Black Bad?, which won the Blackboard Book of the Year Award in 2002, continues to be a favorite throughout the world. Sandy’s grandfather, Rufus X. Holman, helped shape her future. "He left me over 100 poems that he wrote, which were absolutely beautiful and historic, written over a 50-year span," she said. "I had an incredibly close relationship with my grandfather and I saw him pretty regularly through my teen years. He was a talented and wise person. He only had a third grade education, but he continued to read throughout his life and learn as much as he could. I was transfixed by him. He taught me a lot about loving yourself and honoring your history and culture and heritage, and so I grew up not having a lot of the self-esteem issues that a lot of my peers did.”

She has been honored alongside Al Gore, Quincy Jones, and other notable authors for her work in Multi-Cultural Children's Literature at Book Expo in New York. She was the only self-published author ever to win the award, primarily because she didn’t know that self-publishers couldn’t enter. Sandy lets nothing hold her back, and the world and our community are the beneficiaries.

Her next round of children’s stories –Love Is The Root Of All People. Honor Your Elders, Peace Is For People, and You Ain't Dressed Until You Got Your Hat On—is forthcoming. Publishers frequently approach Sandy about her books, but she prefers to be self-published and set up her own publishing company. Sandy gives workshops on self-publishing, as well.

Purple is Sandy’s signature color. “I love purple! When I wear it, it makes me happy. People ask me about all the purple I wear. It opens doors. I decided to do the things that make me happy…the things that make me ecstatic,” she said. An artist, poet, author, speaker, educator, consultant and citizen of the world, Sandy said, “Everyone is a V.I.P. We need to treat everyone like a king or queen.”

Sandy Lynne Holman, thank you for uniting, fortifying and educating us all. Thank you for your generous heart, your clear mind, and your bountiful contributions to peace, equity, and love on earth. Thank you for teaching our children and our teachers to appreciate, accept and celebrate diversity. You are a purple wonder. Thank you for being so extraordinary.

Savory Café Digs In to Help Yolo’s Children Learn About the Beauty of Fresh, Local Food

[Originally published October 2, 2015]

By Jennifer Ann Gordon, Repower Yolo's Storyteller

Repower Yolo is a Gold Sponsor of Yolo Farm to Fork's School Programs. When you go solar with us, we'll donate $500.00.

“Yolo County is one of the best places on earth to be, as far as food is concerned. The variety and abundance of fresh food available here is wonderful.”

—Juan Barajas, Co-owner of the Savory Café

Savory Café, located at 722-A Main Street in Woodland, is celebrating the soft launch of their dinner menu tonight—Friday, October 1, 5-9 PM. The restaurant décor has been refreshed and refined, with the staff at the ready, the environment cordial, and the menu reflective of local agricultural.

Savory Café owners, Kristin Hansen and brothers Juan and Tobi Barajas, design their menus to offer healthier alternatives using local produce. The variety and versatility of food grown and harvested in Yolo County inspires them.

Juan and Tobi have come from a long line of passionate cooks. Their mother is the second oldest of fifteen siblings. “My mother learned a lot of wonderful tricks in the kitchen from my grandmother,” said Juan.

Savory’s owners are keenly aware that Yolo Farm to Fork’s program, Davis Farm to School, plays a vital role in teaching our children where healthy food comes from and the creative ways it can be prepared. “We want children to be adventurous eaters and to become familiar with the wide variety of produce available,” said Juan. 

To this end, Savory Café has created a signature, seasonal dish to help raise money for Dig In Yolo!—Yolo Farm to Fork’s fundraising campaign—to support its  Davis Farm to School gardening and RISE (Recycling is Simply Essential) programs.

Magic happens when culinary creativity and mastery combines with locally-resourced ingredients. Enter Savory Café’s tender, seasonal dish of Organic Butternut Squash Gnocchi, with Skyelark Ranch Lamb Sugo (a classic meat sauce), their lovingly created Dig In Yolo! special. Savory Café will donate a percentage of each Dig In Yolo! special ordered to Yolo Farm to Fork to help sustain their school programs.

Yes! Organic Butternut Squash Gnocchi, with Skyelark Ranch Lamb Sugo made with wine and aromatic spices. A definite palate pleaser! Supporting Davis Farm to School and RISE is even more delicious, knowing that the lamb was resourced from Skyelark Ranch—a pasture-based livestock ranch in Capay Valley, where the animals are raised humanely and with respect—known for their exceptional quality meat and eggs. Savory Café also offers award-winning wines by Route 3, located in Yolo County’s Dunnigan Hills.

Repower Yolo is proud to be a Gold Sponsor of Dig In Yolo!  Hats off to Yolo Farm to Fork, Davis Farm to School, and RISE! Hats off to Savory Café! And hats off to Yolo County for caring so deeply about its children! It’s fascinating and, often, surprising the way everything and everyone are connected…somehow. We love Yolo!

Enjoy your Organic Butternut Gniocchi with Lamb Sugo at Savory Cafe! With every bite, you can smile knowing that you're helping Yolo's children learn how to live sustainably. 

Savory Café’s Breakfast and Lunch Hours:

Monday-Friday       7:30 AM-2 PM

Saturday                 8 AM-2 PM

Sunday                   8 AM-1:30 PM

Beginning on Thursday, October 8, Savory Café’s regular Dinner Hours will be Thursday-Saturday, 5-9 PM.

Savory Café Website

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