Summer 2010
Member Profile
A (Green) Power Couple
Like many UCS members, Jeff and Dori Wolfe of Strafford, VT, have a passion for sustainability and want to do their part to combat global warming and reduce our dependence on fossil fuels. In 1998, they combined this desire with their joint expertise in mechanical engineering to create groSolar, a company that works with homeowners, business owners, developers, and dealers to design, distribute, and install solar hot water and photovoltaic systems. What started as a home-based business is now one of the largest companies of its kind in North America.
Jeff, in addition to his responsibilities as chairman and chief executive officer of groSolar, serves on the board of the solar industry’s trade association and on the UCS National Advisory Board. He challenges people in each organization to think about the potentially significant role solar energy could play in reducing global warming emissions, and how we need to get to that point in a “bigger, better, and faster” way.
Working Together on Solutions
| In this issue of Catalyst:
> The Weight of the Evidence |
Jeff has a reputation as a wily and effective advocate for innovative policies that help level the playing field for renewable energy development. But he and Dori (who is groSolar’s treasurer) also recognize the impact individuals can have on support for clean energy, so groSolar helps educate contractors about energy-efficient design principles, and helps consumers take advantage of state, federal, and utility incentives that make solar power more affordable.
The Wolfes appreciate that UCS shares their goals and that our analyses focus on creating and promoting solutions, not just pointing out problems. As Jeff says, “UCS is working to change laws, provide information, and steer the country on climate change, giving policy makers the backup and backbone they need to act.
