The Kensington Greens are a small group of citizens deeply involved in their district, who formed on their community NextDoor site to take action on climate change and sustainability issues.
When Kensington and the rest of unincorporated Contra Costa County voted to enroll with MCE, the Kensington Greens took the opportunity to embark on a mission to maximize the environmental benefits offered by MCE.
Their goal was to encourage their community, made up of residences, businesses, and local agency buildings, to opt-up to Deep Green 100% renewable energy. The Kensington Greens began with outreach to the Kensington Police Protection and Community Services District (KPPCSD) and the Kensington Fire Protection District (KFPD), who were interested in learning more.
The Kensington Greens drafted official letters, wrote editorials in their local paper, and attended the meetings of the KPPCSD and KFPD to show community support for Deep Green.
The team got a great reception from the board of directors, who were enthusiastic about reducing the environmental footprints of the public buildings under their management. By December 2017, they had met with Contra Costa County Supervisor John Gioia and received the County’s support, setting a new milestone for MCE when the Kensington Community Center and the Kensington Public Safety Building enrolled in Deep Green before Kensington officially started service this April.
MCE estimates that these buildings will eliminate approximately 10 metric tons (about the weight of two adult elephants) of greenhouse gas emissions by enrolling in Deep Green, equivalent to the carbon sequestered by 12.5 acres of U.S. forest in a year.
“We felt the topic and Deep Green choice were so straightforward, it made it such an easy choice for the KPPCSD and KFPD,” said Meldan Heaslip, a founding member of the Kensington Greens. “With so much negativity in the world, having the option from MCE to choose 100% renewable electricity is a simple yet very effective, positive response. It’s the right thing to do.”
The Kensington Greens are building on their early successes and hope to get a large portion of community residents and businesses to follow the lead of the KPPCSD and KFPD and enroll in Deep Green.
