SUN DAY Events Celebrating Solar, Renewables Shine Bright in Texas
Public Citizen is proud to have supported the Sept. 21 SUN DAY events in Austin, Houston, and San Antonio, part of an international day of action to celebrate the power of cost-saving clean energy. Each had its own flavor.
Austin
SUN DAY Austin combined an air of festival celebration with opportunities to learn and take action, with Public Citizen and more than two dozen organizations providing an array of information about how to go solar, climate change and energy efficiency.
At Public Citizen’s table, we provided information on residential tax credits that expire at the end of the year and key steps and questions to ask when thinking about solar for your home. We also had participants fill out postcards to the Austin City Council to support putting solar on city facilities. And we gave away samples of bread, sweet potatoes and vegan sausage that was cooked in a solar oven.
The event featured several informational talks about solar and other clean energy topics, including one by Public Citizen’s Kaiba White on how to add solar to your home. There were also several speeches, given by Austin Council Members Mike Siegel and Ryan Alter, and Travis County Commissioner Brigid Shea, that shared the steps being taken at the local level to advance the use of clean energy.
There were plenty of fun activities for kids, including sun-themed arts and crafts, face painting, a giant rainbow parachute and solar car racing.
Live music by the Louisiana Surf Department and Blowcomotion created a fun and inviting atmosphere, as did the giant Sun Puppet.
A long list of organizations contributed to planning SUN DAY Austin: Public Citizen, Austin Sierra Club, Solar Austin, Sunrise Austin, Parents’ Climate Community, Third Act Texas, Citizens Climate Lobby – Austin, Climate Cabinet, Austin DSA, Texas Solar Energy Society
Houston
A little rain couldn’t stop SUN DAY Houston from shining. Communities and organizations across Houston celebrated renewable energy in its many forms. Groups including Public Citizen, Third Act, Solar United Neighbors, Environment Texas, and more, came together for a day of action and celebration. With the live band playing “Here Comes the Sun” and face-painted children playing on the courtyard’s playground, the afternoon was filled with positivity and solidarity.
With speeches from Dr. Daniel Cohan and the Harris County Sustainability Division, Houstonians gained a better sense of what the region is doing to become a renewable energy leader. A dozen different exhibitors provided information ranging from electric bikes to youth engagement, all with the focus on a clean energy transition. Public Citizen’s Haley Schulz provided information and updates on the organization’s work at the national and local levels, including highlights on the clean energy transition campaign with Close Parish Coal. Workshops hosted by Solar United Neighbors, Galveston Bay Foundation, and community members shared information about the benefits of solar and electrification.
Shout-out to SUN DAY Houston’s co-sponsors that made this inaugural celebration possible: Public Citizen, Third Act, Harris County Office of County Administration, Sierra Club, USGBC Texas Chapter, Environment Texas, Citizens’ Environmental Coalition, Houston Electric Vehicle Association, Houston Peace & Justice Center, Interfaith Environmental Network of Houston, Solar United Neighbors of Texas, Houston Climate Movement, Citizens’ Climate Lobby Houston Chapter, SAFE Communities, Better Brazoria, Sunrise Movement, Rice Wildlife Conservation Corps, Gulf South Fossil Finance Hub, Extinction Rebellion, Turtle Island Restoration Network, Fenceline Watch, Texas Campaign for the Environment.
San Antonio
San Antonio’s SUN DAY event featured speakers, exhibitions, and family-friendly activities both indoors and out on a lovely day at the Alamo Colleges District ACCESS Welcome Center. Hands-on activities included solar ovens, portable solar-powered devices, and electric vehicles. The event was sponsored by Third Act/Third Act Texas, Citizens’ Climate Lobby, Public Citizen, Sierra Club, Environmental Collaborative of San Antonio (EcoSA), and Climate Reality Project – San Antonio.”
San Antonio’s event featured the uplifting tone of SUN DAY events across the country—celebrating the success and rapid growth of solar energy. San Antonio’s utility, CPS Energy, has topped 1,031 megawatts (MW) of solar installations. Still, the celebratory tone did not prevent difficult questions from being asked of former Mayor Ron Nirenberg and current CPS Energy president Rudy Garza about CPS Energy’s recent investments in fossil fuels.
Featured speakers at the event also included Jason Pittman, co-founder and President of Big Sun Solar; Sharron Brown with Mya Jua Solutions; Alan Montemayor, ExCom Chair, Alamo Group of the Sierra Club; and Esteban López Ochoa, Ph.D. Associate Professor, Urban and Regional Planning, Architecture and Planning.
Closing the event was Public Citizen’s Texas Director, Adrian Shelley, who spoke about the 89th session of the Texas Legislature that concluded earlier this year. Shelley ended his talk with a call to action: CPS Energy should reinstate the rebate for residential solar installations. With the federal rebate expiring at the end of this year, reinstating San Antonio’s rebate program will give homeowners an incentive to install solar panels and save money on their energy bills.
San Antonio’s rapid growth and massive potential for rooftop solar installations mean there is a significant opportunity for solar energy in the coming years. We expect to have more successes to celebrate at next year’s SUN DAY!