The Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) is a "think and do tank" that helps corporations, non profit organizations, academic institutions, the military, and other organizations implement market based solutions to work in more efficeint, ecologically responsible ways.  

Originally founded in 1892 by legendary pioneer and environmental activist John Muir, The Sierra Club is one of the largest and most influential grassroots organizations in America.  Some of the succesful past campaigns of the Sierra Club include:

At the 2015 World Economic Forum in Davos Switzerland, the overarching topic of "resource scarcity and the environment (specifically the future of fossil fuels and fighting climate change denial)" was recognized as one of the top global challenges. 

Christina Figueres, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) since 2010, drew four primary conclusions on climate change and energy from the disucssions circulating at the forum.

Rainforest Action Network is a 501c3 organization based in San Francisco, CA whose mission is to challenge the world's largest corporate polluters through education, grassroots mobilization, and non violent direct action.  

The American Solar Energy Society (ASES) was founded in 1954 and is based in Boulder, CO.  ASES is the American Affiliate of the International Solar Energy Society.  The Executive Director, Carly Rixham, is a professional in solar, wastewater management, biofuels and education. She has plans to expand the reach of renewable energies on college campuses and at the grassroots level and to usher in a new generation of solar users and advocates.

Some of the notable programs of ASES include:

• Solar and Renewable Energy Publisher -- including Solar Today Magazine (in its 26th year)
• National Solar Conference Organizing Body
• National Solar Home Tour Organizers

ASES has chapters throughout the country; click here to find an ASES chapter near you.

Look here for assistance with installing solar on your residential or commerical property,  

This blog is part of an on-going series highlighting thought leaders in the Non Profit sector.

The Politics of Energy - Educated Voices Needed

The next two years will be challenging for advocates of clean energy in America.  

The new Republican majority in Congress is threatening to rollback the progress of the past 6 years.  Fossil fuels (tar sands oil, coal and natural gas) are their energy sources of choice - with renewable energy (solar, wind, geothermal) pushed aside and starved of funding.

That is why the non-profit organizations we are highlighting in this series need your support.  They have the means to educate - to inspire - to call to action - the people (like you) that can make a real difference in the debate - and keep us moving on the road to clean energy.

Plug In America is a 501c3 organization that advocates for the use of battery electric and plug in hybrid vehicles powered by renewable energy.   

Consumers are embracing renewable energy for many reasons:

Newest dasolar Team Member Shares Thoughts on Renewables 

“We cannot just focus on the problem; in order to be effective we must focus on the solution.”  This sentiment is one of the driving mantras of my life and a primary reason I am working with dasolar.com  My name is Amy Guinan; I am the newest team member at dasolar, and I would like to briefly introduce myself. 

My passion is spending time in the outdoors:  skiing, mountain biking, walking in the woods.  When I am in the mountains I feel most alive.  In 2006 I moved to Boulder, Colorado and was making regular treks up in to the Rockies.  I noticed something quite disturbing that was worsening before my eyes: hundreds of thousands of acres of lodgepole pine trees were turning brown and dying from a bark beetle infestation. Due to the combination of drought and warmer winters, both results of a changing climate, the bark beetles were able to thrive and create massive destruction to the ecosystem. Something deeply personal inside me awoke:  the places that were sacred to me were threatened, and I knew I had to take action about climate change.