Supporting Communities
The well-being of our communities is important to us, and we believe it is our responsibility to contribute to their growth and vitality. Empowering our employees and customers to take action on the environment is just one way we help make things better.
Volunteering for the Environment
Many of our employees donate their time, enthusiasm and expertise to their communities and neighbors through our Volunteer Program.
Tell us about your volunteer opportunity for PG&E.
PG&E employee volunteers cleaning docks at Ayala Cove on Angel Island as part of Earth Day 2009 in partnership with the California State Parks Foundation.
Highlights include:
- In a podcast for the California State Parks Foundation, PG&E Environmental Coordinator Tom Esser reflects on his experience volunteering at Montaña de Oro State Park in San Louis Obispo County for 2009 Earth Day. Download or listen to the Earth Day mp3 podcast:
- Earth Day 2009—more than 1,000 PG&E employees, retirees and their friends and families worked alongside community volunteers to help clean up and restore 16 state and community parks throughout our service area. PG&E also donated $170,000 to the California State Parks Foundation to support restoration and environmental improvement projects. Over the past eight years, PG&E has contributed more than $850,000 to fund state park projects.
- Ring the Bay—employees joined forces with Save the Bay to help restore important wetland habitat at three locations "ringing" the bay—removing non-native plants, collecting seeds and cleaning up the shoreline.
- San Francisco's Golden Gate Park—hundreds of employees participated in park restoration projects as part of team-building exercises.
- Through more than 500 company-organized events, PG&E employees spent more than 21,750 hours last year serving in the communities where they live and work.
Helping Our Communities Go Solar
Our Solar Schools Program provides a growing number of underserved schools with a free 1 kW solar energy installation. The program also trains teachers to deliver a solar sciences curriculum and provides grants to support solar projects in the classroom.
The Solar Schools Program helps local schools meet statewide testing standards and brings the latest solar technology right into the classroom.
Our Solar Habitat Program is a partnership between PG&E and Habitat for Humanity International and local chapters. Since 2005, PG&E has provided more than $2 million to install solar electric systems on Habitat-built homes throughout PG&E’s northern and central California service area—bringing money-saving solar technology and energy-efficiency resources to families with limited incomes.
PG&E employees have volunteered more than 4,500 hours of their time installing solar panels and providing other support through our Solar Habitat Program.
Giving Back to Our Communities
PG&E shareholders fund our extensive charitable contributions program, which gives millions of dollars each year to non-profit organizations, primarily in northern and central California. Our employees and retirees also pledge millions of dollars annually in donations to benefit more than 4,000 organizations, including charities, hospitals, schools, environmental organizations and many other community groups.
PG&E awarded a $1.5 million grant to the California Academy of Sciences—the largest grant ever made by the company to a single San Francisco institution. As the Academy’s lead corporate sponsor, PG&E is supporting innovative sustainability exhibits and programs to teach Californians how they can take action on climate change. Photo by Tim Griffith, courtesy of the California Academy of Sciences.
Being a Good Neighbor
The facilities used to serve our customers are often close to population centers in order to ensure reliable power and efficient service. It is our responsibility to balance the need to maintain and enhance these facilities to meet our customers' needs, with the responsibility to understand and respect the needs of our neighbors. PG&E's Environmental Justice policy and program guide our efforts to strike this balance.
Partnering for a Greener San Francisco
We have worked together with the city of San Francisco to develop alternative energy sources, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and foster sustainability. This includes bringing an enhanced energy efficiency program worth $11.5 million to the city and its energy customers. And PG&E committed another $7.5 million to increase solar power in San Francisco. Our partnership with the San Francisco Giants is just one example of our solar commitment—making AT&T Park the first ballpark in Major League Baseball to install a solar system.
News Releases
2009
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