Empires of the Sun - Rooftop Revolution - page 23

prosperity and sustainability. Our elected officials are obligated to act on an energy plan
that can bring us both. We must hold our leaders' feet to the fire of solar power. Let's all
takeapledgetostandwiththesunanddemandthat all candidatesin all racestakeitwith
us.Let'stakeitglobalandcallfor all representativesin all countriestoresistthepartisan
and chauvinistic politics that are contaminating our energy choices.
Adecadeago,whenIwasworkingforGreenpeaceUSAaroundtheCaliforniaenergy
crisis—a result of that state's dependence on Texas gas companies like Enron—we sup-
ported a ballot initiative to issue bonds for solar and wind installations by the San Fran-
cisco Public Utilities Commission. We were astounded that 73 percent of the electorate
voted yes to solar—a result I'd never seen, and I started working on my first election in
1983, when I was 12. Three quarters of a US community agreed to raise $100 million to
spend on something!
Solar shines through the smoggy sameness of politics as usual and speaks to people.
We must demand that our elected officials tell us how they'll support solar if they have
the privilege to represent us, what positive energy policies they'll pursue to stop our de-
pendence on foreign and fossil fuels, and what their plans are for job creation in the
clean-energy industry.
We have to raise our voices in chorus. We have to say to all the politicians we elect,
from our nation's president down to our neighborhood's councilmember or supervisor,
“Repeatafterme:wewantclean,local,affordableenergy,andwewantitnow.”Andthen
we must make sure that these leaders stay true to their word.
What You Can Do as a Rooftop Revolutionary
Know where your politicians stand on energy and vote for those who support (or at
least take an open-minded approach to) renewable energy.
Go to www.facebook.com/solaronthewhitehouse and click “Like” to get behind the
momentum to put solar back on the first family's home.
Separateoilandstate.Visit www.priceofoil.org tohelpendKingCONG'stremend-
ous influence on our government.
Ifyou'reabusinessowner(largeorsmall), jointheranksofApple,Nike,andthou-
sands of other businesses across the country to pressure the US Chamber of Com-
mercetochangeitsstanceonclimatechange.Visit www.chamber.350.org andjoin
the movement.