I have long worked in a professional capacity and as an advocate for a clean energy future, bringing this experience to Town Council. Professionally I worked in the development of an early form of photovoltaics (solar panels) using thin-film technology in the 80s, funded by the DOE; and have worked for two recycling companies. I attend many professional conferences, networking with hundreds of engineers, entrepreneurs and policymakers dedicated to this vision, and have authored papers on the topic.

Personally my family and I thoroughly re-did our Fairfax house to add new windows, a demand water heater, an efficient furnace and plenty of insulation, as well as solar panels. This reduced our electric, gas and water bills, all by more than 50%! This was before the advent of heat pump water heaters or furnaces, so more upgrade is needed to electrify our appliances. Our family drives two Chevy Bolts, and I love my e-bike.

Our daughter moved her vegetable farm from Bolinas to Mendocino County in 2019, to a beautiful valley which is not served by electric lines, so I’ve built a solar microgrid to power the farm. There are now a walk-in cooler, water pumping, a woodworking shop, a kitchen, and two EV chargers running completely on solar – and produce deliveries are made with an electric Ford eTransit van, charged on the farm using 100% solar. A forthcoming academic paper will document that exciting work.

While chairing the Fairfax General Plan Advisory Committee, I proposed programs to create a Climate Action Plan and a Climate Action Committee, both of which were done (I was the first Chair of the CAC and now serve as Council Liaison). I helped write the first and now our current Climate Action Plan, one of the first in the county.

I’ve been deeply involved with MCE Clean Energy (formerly called Marin Clean Energy before three other counties joined us!) Currently I serve as the Board Alternate representing Fairfax, and on the Technical Committee. MCE was formed following passage of AB117 by the State Assembly, which was largely authored in Fairfax, and I am eternally grateful for the vision of the late Supervisor Charles McGlashen to pioneer this organization – which has been emulated all over the state.

See also Progress on the Energy Transition and Fairfax Pavilion and Microgrid