OneEnergy’s mission is to fight climate change, but we don’t stop at simply delivering renewable energy. Our team strives to be an active member of the communities that we work and live in through organized volunteerism events. This year, we are celebrating Earth Day by partnering with The Arboretum Foundation, Ocean Blue Project, and RootedWI for a day of volunteering. Our team will spend the day cleaning up parks, removing invasive species, and supporting equitable access to local organic produce.

In 2022, OneEnergy committed over 200 hours to volunteer activities to embody our core values through our Volunteer Time Off (VTO) program. Our VTO program is part of our employee benefits package which gives employees the ability to support organizations of their choice that help the communities that we live in. This provides OneEnergy employees’ the structure and support to become stronger community members.

"We take pride in the work OneEnergy does in our communities and these volunteer events remind each of us how important it is to live by our Company Values,” said Tobin Booth, Chief Executive Officer of OneEnergy. He continued, “OneEnergy’s VTO program allows our team to create connections with new partners while fostering internal relationships and team building.”

Here is a highlight of some of the volunteer work OneEnergy did in 2022:

Habitat for Humanity of Dane County

OneEnergy’s Madison, Wisconsin team partnered with Habitat for Humanity of Dane County to attend several group build days. In 2020, Habitat for Humanity initiated their 8-year plan to build 50 new homes in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin for low-to-moderate income families. Currently in Dane County, one-in-eight people are living in poverty. Habitat for Humanity is making low-cost housing available for Dane County residents to address this issue.

Last year, the OneEnergy team worked on two single-family homes by framing doors, installing windows, and building and installing trusses. Both houses have completed construction and have welcomed new families into the neighborhood. Our team gained valuable construction skills from working closely with the Habitat crew leads.

Pike Market Senior Center & Food Bank

When the entire OneEnergy team gathered last spring in Seattle, we took the opportunity to support the Pike Market Senior Center and Food Bank. The Pike Market SCFB provides access to food and groceries for unhoused individuals as well as social services and activities for seniors living in Downtown Seattle. Each year, the Senior Center serves over 1,500 individuals for free meals, healthy activities, and access to skilled social workers and the Food Bank provides access to food to over 6,600 individuals.

OneEnergy secured materials and assembled over one-thousand no-cook food bags for the Food Bank. The no-cook food bags ensure that all people have access to healthy, well-rounded food, without needing access to a kitchen. These food bags were then distributed by The Food Bank to individuals in the Seattle Community.

Earth Day

OneEnergy’s mission to fight climate change goes beyond deploying renewable energy. Our team celebrates Earth Day by getting outside to clean up parks, streams, and neighborhoods while enjoying the outdoors together. 

Last year, two OneEnergy Seattle team members, Owen Massey and Matt Durette, joined a local team to pick up trash in the Tumwater Canyon in Leavenworth, Washington. The event was organized by Yodelin, a local restaurant whose mission is to provide healthy food options and protect the environment. Together, the team successfully collected and removed over 300 pounds of trash from the Canyon. Tumwater Canyon and the Wenatchee River is often explored by hiking, rock climbing, and whitewater rafting. Additionally, this region provides critical habitat for many species of local wildlife, including: mountain goats, black bears, and bald eagles. Removing trash from this canyon helps keep the Wenatchee rivershed clean and protects local wildlife.

Porchlight

During OneEnergy’s annual meeting in October 2022, we came together in a team-building effort that was dedicated to serving the Madison, Wisconsin community. Through a partnership with Porchlight, the OneEnergy team assembled and distributed nearly 300 bags of personal care items to community members served by Porchlight. 

Porchlight’s mission is to reduce homelessness in Dane County, Wisconsin. They offer a variety of resources to provide shelter, affordable housing, and support services that eliminate barriers and empower unhoused individuals. In 2022, Porchlight served almost 150,000 meals, prevented over 300 evictions, and provided shelter for a total of 59,000 nights. Porchlight has made a substantial impact on Madison since 1984 by seeking creative solutions that address homelessness.

Looking Forward to 2023

Through a continued expansion of our Volunteer Program, OneEnergy looks forward to dedicating many more VTO hours to service projects that benefit the communities in places where we live and work. To support our organized volunteer projects, OneEnergy now has dedicated volunteer coordinators for each of our office locations to provide ample opportunities for our teams to dedicate more volunteer hours in 2023.

Finally, in addition to volunteering alongside their colleagues, many OneEnergy team members also contribute individually to organizations and causes they care about through board of director participation and volunteerism, which we look forward to profiling in our next blog post.