Hammond Climate Solutions was founded by Tara and Justin Hammond a year ago to help expedite positive change for a just and livable future, and we’re excited to share the strides we’ve made towards our mission during a time that humbled us all.
Before jumping in, we’d like to acknowledge our talented colleagues Shelah Ott (Climate Justice Advocate) and Karinna Gonzalez (Climate Justice Policy Advisor), who joined the team during our first year. Their sincere passion and dedication have truly bolstered Hammond Climate Solutions’ impact.
“When I joined the team six months ago, I knew it would be much more than a job, but I didn’t realize the full extent of the impact we would be making as a small (yet mighty) team. Reflecting on our journey and all of the accomplishments we have made in our advocacy, program management and partnership building, I can confidently say that there is nowhere else I’d rather be. Every step of the way, I have been encouraged and motivated to show up for the climate, for communities traditionally marginalized, and for my team. Working at Hammond Climate Solutions has helped me build skills and perspectives that not only support the creation of a just and livable future, but support self-sustainability, too.”
- Shelah Ott, Climate Justice Advocate
“As I join Hammond Climate Solutions at our year one mark, I am filled with gratitude to be joining a team who has already accomplished so much. Looking forward, I am excited to contribute to our amazing portfolio of projects, while advocating for climate policies that create a just and equitable clean energy future.”
-Karinna Gonzalez, Climate Justice Policy Advisor
Our work, which is centered on stopping the climate crisis and advancing climate justice, is categorized into three main areas of expertise - climate project management, policy and advocacy. Below are highlights by category.
Our Climate Project Management Impact
During our first year in business we were proudly involved in 341 solar projects, resulting in 186 megawatts of new solar power systems being built across 35 states and Puerto Rico. This solar capacity is equivalent to more than half a million solar panels, which are now energizing communities with clean energy, improving local air quality, stimulating the local economy and supporting green jobs.
On behalf of our client Left Coast Fund, Hammond Climate Solutions manages the Solar Moonshot Program, an initiative with an annual budget of $1 million and a mission to help nonprofits afford the switch to solar and reduce the impacts of the climate crisis.
Last year we worked with 57 nonprofit organizations across the country to help make their solar dreams a reality, and have enabled them to save money that can be reinvested into their missions. The nonprofits ranged from eco villages to Indigineous resilience organizations, youth homeless shelters, Black women-owned organizations, schools and places of worship. We have another $1 million budget for Solar Moonshot grants in 2021, which will help fund renewable energy projects for an estimated 40 nonprofit organizations across the nation.
A handful of Solar Moonshot Program grant recipients have been in our home town of San Diego, including Activist San Diego, Solidarity Farm, Casa de Amparo and University Christian Church. University Christian Church, home to the San Diego Climate Hub, which we have the pleasure of managing, awarded Hammond Climate Solutions with its “2020 Community Partner of the Year Award.” This was our first award, and will always be dear to our hearts.
In addition to the Solar Moonshot Program, Hammond Climate Solutions also manages two electric bike “ride off” programs, one for Business for Good San Diego and another for Climate Action Campaign. With these programs, participants are loaned an e-bike, and for every mile ridden $1 dollar is deducted from the bike loan. The goal of the programs is to ride off the entire loan and replace dirty vehicle miles travelled with human-powered, emission-free transportation. Hammond Climate Solutions is also a partner of San Diego County’s Pedal Ahead Program, for which we facilitated the procurement of 400 e-bikes through our client’s donations.
Hammond Climate Solutions was also hired by a local foundation to help secure public funding and get electric vehicle (EV) charging stations installed at nonprofit organizations that support traditionally underrepresented and underfunded communities (especially in respect to green infrastructure). So far we’ve already secured $42,000 in California Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Program (CAleVIP) rebates, which paired with the foundation’s grants, is providing a nonprofit organization free EV charging stations for their community.
Our Climate Policy Impact:
Hammond Climate Solutions proudly signed on to over a dozen coalition letters to elected officials and government bodies, helping to shape policies relating to building energy efficiency standards, clean transportation, climate action plans and energy franchise agreements. We participated in over 1,150 meetings with elected officials, coalitions and activists discussing climate policies and priorities. We also started a coalition to protect rooftop solar in California, which plays a vital role in moving to a zero carbon future.
Our Climate Advocacy Impact:
Hammond Climate Solutions is a proud member of 15 nonprofit organizations, and active members of 10 coalitions. Our team is pleased to serve in various leadership roles including:
- Chair, California Solar+Storage Association, San Diego
- Vice Chair, San Diego Community Power Community Advisory Committee
- Steering Committee Member, San Diego Green New Deal Alliance
- Executive Committee Member, Surfrider San Diego
- Board Member, Climate Defenders Action Fund
- Board President, GRID Alternatives San Diego
- Steering Committee Co-chair, San Diego Building Electrification Coalition
- Justice, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Resource Development Chair, San Diego Green New Deal Alliance
We helped organize three Climate Hub events, which reached folks from across the country, and attended multiple socially-distanced, outdoor press conferences (and even multiple car caravans) related to energy franchise agreements and workers rights.
We’re a member of 1% for the Planet, whose members pledge to donate one percent of their earnings to nonprofit organizations working to stop the climate crisis. We’re delighted to announce that Hammond Climate Solutions’ contributions far surpassed the pledge requirement.
Lastly, our CEO Tara Hammond completed the Climate Reality Project Leadership Training, and has been sharing the scientific knowledge she gained to educate others.
So what does this year have in store for Hammond Climate Solutions?
We are going to take the momentum we’ve gained and continue fighting for the greater good! We will be growing our climate project management, policy and advocacy efforts to drive more change.
With the help of our network and communities, we look forward to accomplishing our main policy objectives of:
- Getting a strong rooftop solar agreement at the California Public Utilities Commission while fighting off anti-solar legislation, allowing solar to grow sustainably, helping support green jobs while reducing CO2 emissions.
- Pushing for reach codes that would require new buildings to be all electric, lowering costs of construction while eliminating new, unnecessary gas infrastructure, which poses significant health and climate risks.
- Advocating that the City of San Diego gets better, short-term gas and electric franchise agreements that support the climate, equity and a plan to accelerate the transition off of fossil fuels.
- Updating Climate Action Plans with progressive policies, such as zero carbon, to help address the climate crisis at a faster pace, while prioritizing communities of concern, who are first and foremost impacted by climate injustices.
- Supporting legislation that would create regional climate authorities across California
- Voicing support for the San Diego County Zero Carbon Sustainability Plan
- Advocating for policies that prioritize communities of concern in climate efforts across the country
We are excited for the second year of the Solar Moonshot Program, and will continue managing the Business for Good and Climate Action Campaign e-bike ride off programs while staying connected with the Pedal Ahead program.
As far as new initiatives, we are working with a coalition to help bring an e-bike ride off program to residents in multi-family affordable housing complexes. We’re helping a local foundation that’s supporting lower interest EV loans for people in communities of concern. We’re expanding our reach to assist solar companies in tracking policies and being more engaged in protecting the solar and storage industry. We’ve committed to helping a global leader in energy storage with a Corporate Social Responsibility project.
We’ll continue to advocate for good climate and equity programs that counter the climate crisis, including initiatives through our local community choice energy program, San Diego Community Power (our CEO advocated for community choice energy in San Diego County for nearly a decade, and we are thrilled to finally see San Diego Community Power officially launch this month).
Last but certainly not least is our pursuit of helping to establish pilot programs to show proof of concept, and help lay the foundation for big public initiatives. We welcome your creative ideas for climate programs and incentives, and look forward to helping you implement them.
Stay updated on our efforts by following us on social media. We can be found using @HammondClimateSolutions on Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram, and @DynamicActions on Twitter.
To learn more about Hammond Climate Solutions, please explore the rest of our site!
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