At Invest in Our Future, we work to support the leaders and organizations building clean energy projects across the country, turning good policies into real jobs for their neighbors and tangible benefits for their communities. A big part of that work involves connecting these local champions to each other, empowering them to team up, share their experiences, and pool their expertise as they cultivate new crops of clean energy leaders and trusted storytellers.
This spirit of collaboration is a big part of why we launched the Builders Network – and why we’re so proud to highlight the success of Energy for All Y’all (EFAY).
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Launched in 2024 through one of our grants, Energy for All Y’all is a joint project by Generation180, Southeast Sustainability Directors Network (SSDN), and Southern Alliance for Clean Energy (SACE) that identifies local champions with authentic stories to share about how clean energy made their lives materially better.
The three organizations had seen clean energy successes multiply throughout the Southeast, but felt the communities who stood to benefit the most weren’t even aware of the benefits headed their way. They believed they could address that gap by combining their connections and skillsets, built up through years working across the region: Generation180’s wide network of creatives and storytelling expertise; SSDN’s connections to local communities and trust of local government officials; and SACE’s media relationships and deep policy knowledge.
Partnering as Energy for All Y’all, they’re now using these shared resources to shape local clean energy champions’ experiences into compelling stories - and helping share those stories with wider audiences.
The Resilience of Clean Energy in North Carolina
Take George Santucci, the local Sustainability and Special Projects manager for the town of Boone, North Carolina.
Years ago, Santucci guided the town’s adoption of a few small solar and hydropower projects, along with changes to permitting for residential solar. When Hurricane Helene hit in 2024, it damaged the local electrical grid, knocking power out and leaving local emergency services struggling with communications disruptions. Yet the town’s solar installations were largely intact.
The lesson, for Santucci, is that clean energy is synonymous with real resilience. Boone is now converting a 15-acre former landfill into a 2 MW solar farm and seeking to build microgrids with the addition of battery storage. And with EFAY’s help, Santucci is honing a pitch for other North Carolina communities to do the same.
Along with a profile of Boone and George Santucci, EFAY has published nearly 130 stories and videos, ranging from a Tennessee couple’s experience with plug-in “balcony solar” to how a Clearwater, FL man is saving money every month after buying a used EV. They’ve landed these stories and the people in them, along with coverage of their own work, in over 150 news hits from local, regional, and national outlets.
Training to Go Viral
EFAY’s video content has generated more than six million views. They’re also amplifying their messages through a bench of social media creators interested in promoting clean energy technologies, built up by Generation180 through efforts like their Amplifiers training program. These creators are already showing they can reach big audiences. Consider cohort alum Anna Daugherty. After completing the program last year, Anna produced a video on induction stoves that cracked one million views on Instagram. In April, she posted an explainer on why power bills are rising. The video ended up catching actor Mark Ruffalo’s eye, leading him to repost it and help it amass over 207,000 views.
The Builders Network Advantage
With the Builders Network, the Generation180, SSDN, and SACE teams are already finding new possibilities to add to their impressive track record—not only by tapping more partners to help find and tell clean energy success stories, but by helping write new ones, too.
During one of the first Builders Network meetings, Greenlight America shared details about the Millstone Energy Center—a 150 MW battery storage facility working through the siting and permitting process in Chesapeake, VA. The project would boast enough storage capacity to keep electricity running during a power outage in nearly 112,500 homes for four hours.
EFAY jumped at the opportunity to support the effort. After publishing a story about the project and promoting educational events for the community, they’re running a targeted, paid ad campaign to reach local residents, with the aim of mobilizing people to attend a Greenlight rally on the day of the City Council’s vote.
They are hopeful this is the first of many projects they can support. And they are eager to help Builders Network members amplify great stories.
If you have an idea for a new collaboration, the folks at EFAY want to hear from you. Reach out to Kay Campbell at Generation180, Amy Rawe at SACE, and Amanda Nalley at SSDN.
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Other BUILDERS in Action
[RE-volv] The City of Cincinnati’s Office of Environment & Sustainability, alongside partners RE-volv, Solar United Neighbors, and Faith Communities Go Green, has launched the Solar Co-Op Program for local nonprofits, schools, and houses of worship. Learn more here.
[Lawyers for Good Government] L4GG is hosting a free, one-hour webinar on June 18 specifically around beginning of construction and also addressing the latest court ruling in which a federal district court vacated the IRS Notice 2025-42 that restricted the use of the 5% safe harbor rule for solar projects larger than 1.5MW and wind projects of all sizes. Register here.
[Collective Energy]: Hawaii Public Radio: Solar microgrids offer rural health centers stability amid a myriad of rising costs
[Collective Energy]: Honolulu Civil Beat: Sudden Slashes To Solar Incentives Make It Harder To Go Green - Honolulu Civil Beat
[Working Power]: PIX 11: Sunset Park residents celebrate completion of community solar project
[Working Power]: The Sunset Post: UPROSE celebrates cooperative solar project going online
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