May 31, 2016

Working with Solar Sailors

One of the first boat sketches
Nate shared with me
I'm joining a team that wants to educate about clean energy...through adventure!! We will be sailing to sites on a solar powered sail boat and I couldn't be more excited.

When I first started this blog in November 2014, I had a few goals: to learn more about clean energy, talk with experts, visit some clean energy sites, develop some street cred, and eventually start working with people in the field.

Nate Sermonis, a buddy of mine told me about his plans to sail to different clean energy sites around the world to share what he learned with others. This was early Fall 2015. He had read my blog and wanted me to join the cause.

This project is exactly what I had hoped my blog would result in--working on renewable energy and getting to travel the world with it!

As I see it, my role in this endeavor is two-pronged--help get clean energy equipment and help with promotion. Blogging has prepared me. I've been asking my contacts in the clean energy world about the best way to outfit this boat and getting good deals on equipment. As for promotion, I've been helping run the Twitter site, developing a list of funders, and put on our amazing launch event.

Filming our launch video at the docks in SW DC (left to right):
me, Chad Johnson, and Nate Sermonis. April Avant--fundraiser
extraordinaire--is not pictured
The current team of four has diverse backgrounds--government, social media, private sector--but we all have two things in common. First, we want to educate people. Whether it's Google hangouts, conversations, online videos, or media interviews, we're trying to share our experience and help others dream. Second, we're all pretty good communicators.  We got the word out for our launch party and attracted 250 people to our rooftop celebration!

We've still got a long way to go before our July expedition to Cuba. We need to sort out the visa situation, finish designing the boat, and raise $15,000 more.

This solar-powered expedition will be the focus of my blog for the next few months so buckle up!

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