I remember being mesmerized as a kid by the solar-powered fake flame lanterns that lined our driveway, but that’s about as “solar-focused” as it got—but now Birmingham’s chapter of Citizens’ Climate Lobby (CCL) is striving to change that, advocating for more solar energy in sunny Alabama with their event Sun Day Bham! on September 21. CCL is a nonpartisan group of volunteers who petition for national climate legislation and undertake other similarly climate-focused initiatives. “The sun can power the world, you can power a movement,” their website states.
Did you know: Alabama is last in the nation in producing electricity from rooftop solar panels?
Sun Day Bham is a free pop-up market celebrating wind and solar energy that will take place on Sunday, September 21 from 1–4 p.m. in the Avondale United Methodist Church gym (500 40th St. S., Birmingham). The market will feature all kinds of vendors—from cupcakes and honey to apparel and art—as well as local nonprofits that want to encourage the use of solar energy. And did I mention that the tablers and event attendees are eligible for some pretty *electric* prizes?
Did you know: Alabama is one of the least contributing states when it comes to solar energy?
Citizens’ Climate Lobby is teaming up with several local organizations to petition the City Council of Birmingham to declare September 21 to be “Sun Day” in Birmingham, which would make Sun Day Bham! part of the national Sun Day celebration of all things wind and solar energy. The Sun Day movement is inspired by the original Earth Day, which in 1970 had 20 million participants (10 percent of the nation’s population at the time!). The CCL hopes that creating Sun Day would have similar ripple effects as the first Earth Day, which led to the Environmental Protection Agency and the Clean Air Act within one year, with the Clean Water Act closely following.
Did you know: Solar electricity is clean, renewable, and affordable?
Here’s the full list of local organizations joining with CCL:
- Poor People’s Campaign – Alabama Greater Birmingham Ministries
- Birmingham Friends Meeting
- Unitarian Universalist Church of Birmingham Justice Committee
- RESULTS – Birmingham
- People’s Justice Council
- Alabama Interfaith Power & Light Alabama Interfaith Refugee Partnership League of Women Voters of Greater Birmingham
- Energy Alabama
- Greater-Birmingham Alliance to Stop Pollution (GASP) Climate Reality Project – Central Alabama
- Alabama Environmental Council Sierra Club | Cahaba Group Black Warrior Riverkeeper Cahaba Riverkeeper
- Cahaba River Society
- Friends of Shades Creek
- Alabama Rivers Alliance
- And because coffee shops are on the front lines of climate change: Alicia’s Coffee
- Prevail Union
- Gatos & Beans
- House Eleven
- General
- Ground
Show your support for showing up to Sun Day Bham! See you on the sunny side….
