Pictured above (L to R): Rose Jackson with National Council for Jewish Women, Contra Costa Section, Kate Sears, MCE Board Chair (presenting to Gloria Castillo with Canal Alliance), and Brad Waite with Sustainable Rossmoor.
2019 Honorees of Annual MCE Advocacy Awards include Gloria Castillo of San Rafael’s Canal Alliance, the National Council for Jewish Women Contra Costa Section, and Sustainable Rossmoor
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 29, 2020
MCE Press Contact:
Jenna Famular, Communications Manager
(925) 378-6747 | jfamular@mcecleanenergy.org
“MCE has always been driven by our communities’ needs, and we are proud this year to recognize partners who worked with us to improve the lives of immigrant and senior communities at the Marin Villa Estates in San Rafael and the Rossmoor retirement communities,” said Dawn Weisz, CEO of MCE. “Ms. Castillo’s work in the Canal District of San Rafael to provide clean, affordable energy to residents exemplifies our commitment to environmental justice and strengthening our communities today and tomorrow. The National Council for Jewish Women and Sustainable Rossmoor’s efforts also highlight the importance of one-on-one engagement to empower energy choice. Together with our community partners, MCE can build a brighter future for us all.”
More information about this year’s recipients can be found below:
Gloria Castillo with Canal Alliance has gone above and beyond her role as the Housing Project Coordinator with the Canal Alliance, a nonprofit organization that empowers immigrants by connecting them to resources in the Canal District of San Rafael. Ms. Castillo’s work has built support for MCE’s programs at the Marin Villa Estates property, where she partnered with MCE staff on survey collection and income-verification visits at the property. Thanks to Gloria’s assistance, Marin Villa Estates received over $55,200 in blended funding from MCE’s Multifamily Energy Savings Program, the Low-Income Families and Tenants (LIFT) program, the Income-Qualified Multifamily Solar Rebate Program, and Green and Healthy Homes Initiative (GHHI) Marin.
These incentives funded a 30+ kilowatt solar system generating nearly 49,600 kilowatt hours annually, electrical panel upgrades, structural improvements to apartment decks, carbon monoxide monitors, and energy-efficiency measures like Title 24-compliant windows, LED light bulbs, and low-flow faucets and showerheads. These upgrades reduced fire hazards, increased structural safety, lowered utility bills, improved indoor air quality, and increased residents’ comfort. The energy-efficiency measures are projected to save nearly 3,400 kilowatt hours of energy per year.
National Council for Jewish Women (NCJW) and Sustainable Rossmoor jointly helped nearly 40 residents in the Rossmoor retirement community exercise their power of choice and opt up to MCE Deep Green 100% renewable energy. Together, NCJW and Sustainable Rossmoor have been present at over 10 community meetings, including farmers markets, the Activities Council of Rossmoor, Democrats Club meetings, and the Rossmoor Newcomers club. In addition to attending these community meetings and speaking to residents, the team also created their own Deep Green T-Shirts, and wrote and produced a song titled “Why MCE,” that lists the attributes of 100% renewable energy.
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About MCE: As California’s first Community Choice Aggregation Program, MCE is a groundbreaking, not-for-profit, public agency that has been setting the standard for energy innovation in our communities since 2010. MCE offers cleaner power at stable rates, significantly reducing energy-related greenhouse emissions and enabling millions of dollars of reinvestment in local energy programs. MCE is a load-serving entity supporting a 1,000 MW peak load. MCE provides electricity service to more than 480,000 customer accounts and more than one million residents and businesses in 34 member communities across four Bay Area counties: Napa, Marin, Contra Costa, and Solano. For more information about MCE, visit mceCleanEnergy.org
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