SONOMA CLEAN POWER
Going EverGreen Spotlight on local businesses championing 100% renewable electricity from Sonoma Clean Power
By Janet Perry
A s the dangers of climate change continue to rise, so does the need for responsible choices around clean energy. And several local commercial customers of Sonoma Clean Power have made the decision to go “all in” on their commitment to lowering their carbon footprints by choosing SCP’s EverGreen service—which means operating their businesses on 100% locally-produced renewable electricity. The EverGreen service is SCP’s more ambitious option—CleanStart, the default service, is 50% renewable and 91% carbon- free. (Residents can also “opt out” of clean energy and be served by PG&E.) While EverGreen boasts twice the renewable energy, it also has a different price structure, with customers paying an additional 2.5 cents per kilowatt hour of usage. Still, many businesses’ commitment to sustainable practices is undeterred. As Steve
The Point Arena Lighthouse. [Photo by Julie Hughes Photography]
president and executive director of the lighthouse, says the nonprofit had a goal of being 100% carbon neutral by the end of 2025. “This choice of 100% renewable electric energy gets us 98% of the way there,” Hancock says. “[Plus] it helps the environment, and that has long-term benefits to the communities in Northern California.” Hancock says being 100% renewable is important to him and his staff, who are committed to clean energy and protecting and preserving the environment. Maintaining the area’s “rugged, unspoiled beauty” is key to long-term preservation of the lighthouse, he says. “I hope we continue to light the way for another 154-plus years and provide an amazing and unique visitor experience to everyone that comes here,” he says. A market for renewables Surf Market is a busy community shopping hub in Gualala, with refrigeration systems running 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Still, market managers didn’t hesitate to enroll in the EverGreen service once it became available. Grocery stores “use a massive amount of energy,” says Caroline Ducato, marketing director and specialty food buyer at Surf Market. The move to 100% renewable required “some internal financial planning,” she concedes, “but supporting and promoting the importance of locally produced, renewable energy is the right decision for the environment.” On its website, surfsuper.com , market owner Steve May says the company has always tried to provide leadership in environmental issues, citing the protection of the oceans as a personal priority. Surf Market even eliminated its use of plastic bags before it became law, he says. In an online video, May describes EverGreen as a way for the market “to move from being part of the problem to being part of the solution.”
May, owner of Surf Market in Gualala, and vocal EverGreen proponent, puts it, “We all affect each other and we are connected also to nature… so much has been given to us that we feel a responsibility to pay it back, to give back. “It’s in our power to change the state [of the environment]—we have the power to make these changes.” Here’s a look at some of the local businesses choosing 100%
renewable electricity from Sonoma Clean Power. Lighting the way The Point Arena Lighthouse first started lighting the waters off the Mendocino Coast in 1870. Owned and operated today by the nonprofit Point Arena Lighthouse Keepers, Inc.—dedicated to its historical preservation
and education outreach—the
lighthouse is among those SCP customers going EverGreen. Mark Hancock,
Surf Market in Gualala.
[Photo by Julie Hughes Photography]
2025
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