The Point Arena Lighthouse. [Julie Hughes Photography]
As the dangers of climate change continue to rise, so does the need for responsible choices around clean energy. And several local commercial customers of Sonoma Clean Power have made the decision to go “all in” on their commitment to lowering their carbon footprints by choosing SCP’s EverGreen service—which means operating their businesses on 100% locally-produced renewable electricity.
The EverGreen service is SCP’s more ambitious option—CleanStart, the default service, is 50% renewable and 91% carbon-free. Residents can also “opt out” of clean energy and be served by PG&E.
While EverGreen boasts twice the renewable energy, it also has a different price structure, with customers paying an additional 2.5 cents per kilowatt hour of usage. Still, many businesses’ commitment to sustainable practices is undeterred. As Steve May, owner of Surf Market in Gualala, and vocal EverGreen proponent, puts it, “We all affect each other and we are connected also to nature… so much has been given to us that we feel a responsibility to pay it back, to give back.”
“It’s in our power to change the state [of the environment]—we have the power to make these changes.”
Here’s a look at some of the local businesses choosing 100% renewable electricity from Sonoma Clean Power.
Lighting the way
The Point Arena Lighthouse first started lighting the waters off the Mendocino Coast in 1870. Owned and operated today by the nonprofit Point Arena Lighthouse Keepers, Inc.—dedicated to its historical preservation and education outreach—the lighthouse is among those SCP customers going EverGreen.
Mark Hancock, president and executive director of the lighthouse, says the nonprofit had a goal of being 100% carbon neutral by the end of 2025. “This choice of 100% renewable electric energy gets us 98% of the way there,” Hancock says. “[Plus] it helps the environment, and that has long-term benefits to the communities in Northern California.”
Hancock says being 100% renewable is important to him and his staff, who are committed to clean energy and protecting and preserving the environment. Maintaining the area’s “rugged, unspoiled beauty” is key to long-term preservation of the lighthouse, he says.
“I hope we continue to light the way for another 154-plus years and provide an amazing and unique visitor experience to everyone that comes here,” he says.
A market for renewables
Surf Market is a busy community shopping hub in Gualala, with refrigeration systems running 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Still, market managers didn’t hesitate to enroll in the EverGreen service once it became available.
On its website, surfsuper.com, market owner Steve May says the company has always tried to provide leadership in environmental issues, citing the protection of the oceans as a personal priority. Surf Market even eliminated its use of plastic bags before it became law, he says.
In an online video, May describes EverGreen as a way for the market “to move from being part of the problem to being part of the solution.”
“EverGreen is a convenient way to do the right thing,” he says. “And the more people who do it, the more momentum it builds and inspires other businesses to say: We could do that too.”
‘One small thing we can do’
Naomi Crawford and Joel Baecker opened their farm-fresh, grab-and-go lunch spot, Lunchette, in Petaluma in 2017, with a mission to achieve zero waste as soon as possible. They wanted their business to commit to more sustainable choices, such as all-electric cooking in their kitchens. Signing up for SCP’s 100% renewable service was a natural, says Crawford.
“If I owned our building, I’d install a solar array,” Crawford says. “As a tenant, this is the best we can do,” she says.
Crawford and Baecker also installed solar at their home, among other energy efficient lifestyle choices. “Every time I look up at the roof, or plug a car in, I feel rewarded,” Crawford says.
Profit margins are thin, so committing to EverGreen is a pinch, she says. But among the ways a small-business owner can be sustainable, “paying a little more every month is one small thing we can do.”
Adds Crawford: “Sometimes doing something for the greater good costs us more. It’s a choice we feel is better for us, better for our region.”
Beyond EverGreen
Veterinarian Diccon Westworth leads the Sustainability “Green” Team at the VCA Animal Care Center of Sonoma County, where energy-heavy MRI and CT machines run regularly. Westworth says his team became concerned after conducting a carbon calculation on the facility’s energy use, and “we realized we were causing substantial amounts of carbon to be emitted.”
The eye-opening assessment spurred VCA to commit to a more sustainable veterinary practice. Enrolling in EverGreen was “the easiest way” to align with their sustainability goals, Westworth says.
But, he adds, choosing the 100% local renewable service was but one of several ways the animal care center has partnered with Sonoma Clean Power to promote sustainability. For instance, he says, the sustainability team won an SCP grant for an E-bike workplace commuter program, allowing the VCA to purchase four electric bikes for staff use. Not only that, but through support from SCP, the veterinary center is installing nine EV chargers for client and staff use—curbing the carbon impact of staff commute and client visits, which account for as much as 36% of VCA’s emissions footprint.
Westworth says the animal-care center has a large banner celebrating their collaboration with SCP in the lobby of its offices at 6470 Redwood Drive in Rohnert Park. “Clients have commented on the banner, and they are pleased to see us leading the way,” says Westworth.
“By partnering with Sonoma Clean Power, we are doing our part to pave the way for California and the wider U.S. [toward] an ever-faster transition to local clean renewable electricity sources,” he says.
