It’s finally Fall — time for cooler days, pumpkin-flavored coffees, and new beginnings. As the lazy days of summer come to an end and kids go back to school, many of us take Fall as an opportunity to start fresh. It’s the perfect time to clean out your garage, assess your finances, and get back on a routine to end the year on a strong note. For some of us, this involves making conscious changes in our lives to reduce our spending, and maybe our environmental footprint, too. Read on for some Fall-themed sustainability tips that are both green and budget-friendly.

# Assess Your Home’s Energy-Efficiency # 
![](https://www.datocms-assets.com/50319/1727701956-home-energy-audit.png)

Colder temperatures are just around the corner. Fall is the perfect time to identify deficiencies in your home that will cost you real money. Does one room in your home feel particularly drafty? Consider sealing those windows or purchasing a draft stopper. Do you have the heat or air conditioning running all day in a room that is barely occupied? Look into getting a smart thermostat for your home. The average Energy Smart thermostat can [save you up to 8% in energy costs](https://www.consumerreports.org/appliances/thermostats/are-smart-thermostats-worth-it-a7822875275/) per year. 

You can also get a home energy audit for an expert opinion on how to make your home more energy efficient. Many states offer free home energy audits, including Massachusetts and New York. You can also take advantage of federal government programs such as the [Energy Efficient Home Improvement Tax Credit](https://www.energy.gov/energysaver/professional-home-energy-assessments). This program provides a tax credit worth 30% of the cost of a home energy audit. Without state or federal offers and incentives, home energy audits tend to [cost between $200 to $700](https://www.saveonenergy.com/resources/home-energy-audit/), but they often save people much more than that once they make the recommended adjustments. 
 

# Eat Local, Seasonal Produce #
![](https://www.datocms-assets.com/50319/1727701956-eat-seasonal-produce.png)

Purchasing in-season fruits and vegetables is not just a tastier decision than buying transported, out-of-season produce. It’s also a decision that supports local farmers and reduces greenhouse gas emissions. Think about the energy required for the transportation and refrigeration of out-of-season produce. That’s a lot of energy! 

Farmers who focus on growing seasonal crops that are naturally suited to the local climate and soil type don't rely as heavily on fertilizers and pesticides, which is overall better for the environment. Buying local, in-season produce supports small farms. Smaller farms tend to practice more sustainable, regenerative farming practices  that encourage biodiversity and maintain the balance of nutrients in the soil. 

There are lots of seasonal fruits and vegetables to choose from in the Fall— pumpkins, apples, beets, and sweet potatoes are in-season. Find a local farm stand or farmer’s market to support local farmers and sustainable farming practices. Oftentimes, in-season, [local produce is less expensive](https://diet.mayoclinic.org/us/blog/2022/picked-at-their-peak-the-benefits-of-buying-seasonal-produce/) than buying transported produce at the grocery store, so you can save money while eating better!

# Sign up for Community Solar — or Refer a Friend! #
![](https://www.datocms-assets.com/50319/1727701956-fall-community-solar.png)

Community Solar is the easiest, most cost-effective way to support local, clean energy sources. When you join a Community Solar farm, you’ll save between 5 and 20% on electricity costs annually, depending on your state. There’s no cost to join, no installations, and you don’t have to be a homeowner. [Enroll here to get started](https://enroll.ampion.net)! 

If you’re already a Community Solar subscriber, then you know that Community Solar is a great way to help the environment while saving money. But did you know that you can earn a $100 Visa gift card for referring a friend to Community Solar with Ampion? [Log into your Ampion portal](https://portal.ampion.net/users/sign_in) today to make a referral. When the person you refer completes their enrollment, you will each be eligible to receive a $100 Visa gift card. 


# Start Composting at Home #
![](https://www.datocms-assets.com/50319/1727701956-composting.png)

Did you know that as much as [24% of landfill waste](https://www.epa.gov/sciencematters/lettuce-not-waste-new-epa-research-highlights-food-waste-contributions-climate) is categorized as “municipal solid food waste”? This is an issue because food waste is responsible for greenhouse gas emissions, which contribute to climate change. If you’ve ever considered composting at home, but haven’t gotten around to implementing it in your household, Fall is the perfect time to start! Raked leaves, apple peels, old jack-o-lanterns, vegetable scraps, coffee grounds, and more can all easily be composted. Some cities and towns have their own compost collection sites or even pickup service. Worried about the smell of old food? Try putting your compost in your garage, outside with a lid, or in the freezer to reduce unwanted odors. Composting at home helps us to reduce waste, lower greenhouse gas emissions, and create nutrient-rich compost for farms and gardens.

Incorporating sustainability into our Fall routines is beneficial to the planet and our budgets. Let’s usher in the Fall season sustainably, and with some extra money in our pockets. Happy Fall!

4 Fall Sustainability Tips that Are Budget-Friendly

*Shepherds Acres Solar Farm in South Paris, Maine*

**The long-term partnership begins with the construction of five distributed generation projects for commercial, industrial, and residential customers throughout the Northeast and Midwest.**
***

[Navisun](https://www.navisunllc.com/), an independent power producer with operations across the United States, and [Ampion](https://ampion.net), a community solar subscription management company, are pleased to announce a long-term, strategic partnership that will connect commercial, industrial, and residential customers throughout the Northeast and Midwest with affordable, reliable solar energy.

Navisun will design, construct, own, and operate more than 21 MWdc of solar assets across four states, with plans to add additional capacity to this partnership in the near future. Ampion will lead the subscriber acquisition, billing, customer care, and the long-term subscription management for these five distributed generation community solar projects. Once completed and subscribed, the projects will serve households and businesses in Maine, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Illinois, including economically disadvantaged customers. The first development, in Maine, is expected to begin operating in November.

In their ongoing collaboration, Ampion and Navisun are committed to addressing the industry’s growing need for high-quality customer relationships that ensure both the long-term viability of renewable energy assets and more affordable energy bills for Americans. By pairing Navisun’s expertise in solar energy generation with Ampion’s sophisticated subscription management services, the two partners aim to expand solar access in markets throughout the country and build lasting relationships with a range of solar energy customers that cement the industry’s long-term success.

“As the renewable energy industry grows, it also needs to deliver clean energy in a long-term, responsible and sustainable manner,” said Jason Spreyer, CEO of Navisun. “By focusing on the long-term viability of our assets, Navisun ensures the projects we build today will continue to provide sustainable energy for decades to come. We’re glad to share that we are partnering with Ampion, whose shared commitment to long-term sustainability benefits not only our projects but the wider solar industry.”

“Ampion is proud to partner with Navisun to extend the cost-saving benefits of community solar to more utility customers, especially to low-to-moderate income customers who gain the most from these savings,” said Nate Owen, CEO & Founder of Ampion. “In collaborating on these initial projects, we are fulfilling our shared belief that ready access to project performance data and close attention to the subscriber experience leads to happier customers and better site economics. Together, we're applying long-term, creative approaches to distributed generation markets, beyond the immediate subscriber acquisition phase. This evolving industry requires more sophisticated strategies to expand, and we're glad we have a partner that shares our commitment to continuing this growth.”

Navisun and Ampion Partner to Deliver Community Solar Savings to Customers and Expand to New Markets Across the U.S.

* Over 130 Wendy’s Company and franchise locations are enrolled in community solar and Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) with Ampion.
* The partnership brings more than 27 million kWh of renewable energy to local grids in New York, Illinois, and Massachusetts.
* Through Ampion+, Wendy’s will access Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) that are [Green-e® Energy](https://www.green-e.org/programs/energy) certified to meet the most stringent environmental and consumer protection standards in North America.

[Ampion Renewable Energy](https://ampion.net/) is partnering with [The Wendy’s Company](https://www.wendys.com/) (Nasdaq: WEN) to help Wendy’s® restaurants source renewable energy. Nearly 100 company-operated restaurants and nearly 40 franchise restaurants in New York, Illinois, and Massachusetts are now enrolled in [Ampion+](https://ampion.net/about/blog/ampion-plus-for-enterprises-bundles-community-solar-recs), a product that helps organizations reduce energy costs and secure Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) that substantiate the use of renewable energy and greenhouse gas emissions reductions.

The enrolled restaurants will source between 30% and 100% of their energy from solar without the need to install solar panels onsite. Wendy’s plans to increase the number of restaurants enrolled in community solar through Ampion as additional solar generation capacity comes online and more franchise restaurants enroll in the program. Participation in such community solar projects helps generate and supply renewable electricity to local utility grids, reducing reliance on fossil fuels.

“We are excited about the opportunity this partnership provides our Company and franchise restaurant operators by making it easier and more accessible to source clean energy while ultimately realizing cost savings,” said Steven Derwoed, Vice President, Global Design & Construction at Wendy’s. “We are advancing progress toward our emissions reduction goals through community solar participation and RECs. It’s a win-win for the Company and our franchisees.”

Last year, Wendy’s set near-term [science-based targets](https://www.irwendys.com/news/news-details/2023/The-Wendys-Company-Strengthens-Commitment-to-Climate-Action-Targeting-Ambitious-Greenhouse-Gas-Emissions-Cuts/default.aspx) to reduce absolute Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 47%, and Scope 3 emissions from franchisees by 47% per restaurant by 2030, both from a 2019 baseline. Sourcing renewable energy is a key focus area for Wendy’s in achieving these emissions reduction goals.

Through Ampion, Wendy’s locations have enrolled approximately 27.5 million kilowatt hours (kWh) in community solar. This is equivalent to CO2 emissions from the electricity used by over 2,200 homes for one year. Each kilowatt hour will be accounted for, tracked, and assigned ownership to a specific restaurant location via RECs through the Ampion+ product.

![](https://www.datocms-assets.com/50319/1720457289-wendy-s-blog-01.png)

"As the need for reducing carbon emissions grows, community solar combined with RECs provides a solution for environmental sustainability in the corporate sector that is both achievable and affordable, while enabling companies to quantify and disclose their progress in a standardized manner," said Nate Owen, CEO and Founder of Ampion. “We’re seeing more large companies actively seeking sustainable solutions through community solar. This partnership with Wendy’s demonstrates that Ampion is able to support these organizations in reducing emissions and putting more renewable energy on the grid for local communities.”

A REC represents the environmental benefits associated with one megawatt hour (MWh) of renewable energy matched with electricity usage. Corporations buy RECs to claim responsibility for the clean energy generated and the corresponding environmental benefits in their ESG reports. However, purchasing and budgeting for RECs can pose challenges for most companies.

![](https://www.datocms-assets.com/50319/1720457327-wendy-s-blog-02.png)


“Accounting and organizational constraints often prohibit enterprises from buying RECs needed to attain their ESG goals,” said Vihann Kong, Senior Executive Director at Ampion. “Our innovative Ampion+ product addresses these roadblocks by combining community solar and RECs in one transaction. We’re proud to help The Wendy’s Company and franchisees lower their carbon emissions while saving on their bottom line.”

This partnership comes as community solar is continuing to trend upward. A [recent report from Wood Mackenzie](https://www.woodmac.com/press-releases/2024-press-releases/cumulative-us-community-solar-installed-capacity-expected-to-break-14-gwdc-by-2028/), the leading global provider of data and analytics solutions for the renewables, energy and natural resources sectors, estimates that cumulative community solar installations could more than double in the next five years. Earlier this year, [Ampion surpassed 1 GW of community solar](https://www.renewableenergyworld.com/solar/community-solar/ampion-now-has-1-gw-of-community-solar-under-management/) generation under management.

Ampion Partners with The Wendy’s Company and its Franchisees

Here at Ampion, our commitment to the environment goes beyond the work we do in renewable energy. Of course we want to make renewable energy accessible to all, and we also value making outdoor spaces safe and accessible to all. For Ampion’s 2024 volunteer outing, a group of Ampion employees gave back to the community by cleaning up a section of the Boston Harborwalk in East Boston. 

The Boston Harborwalk is a stretch of 43 miles of publicly-accessible walking paths and trails along Boston’s waterfront, covering neighborhoods in East Boston, Charlestown, and Dorchester. The Ampion crew got to work and picked up a whopping 166.2 pounds of trash along the East Boston coastline. The group was eager to give back to the community and create a cleaner, safer environment for people, animals, and marine life to thrive. 

![Boston Harborwalk](https://www.datocms-assets.com/50319/1717072685-img_1816-edited.png)

The team volunteered with Boston Harbor Now, an organization dedicated to making Boston Harbor, its waterfront and islands accessible and inclusive. [Boston Harbor Now](https://www.bostonharbornow.org/) works with nonprofits, harbor agencies, and other organizations to ensure that these places are properly adapted to the risks of climate change. Boston Harbor Now partners with the [Friends of the Boston Harborwalk](https://www.bostonharbornow.org/get-involved/fohw/), a group of volunteers who steward the waterfront spaces and identify the sites most in need of volunteer service projects.

# Love (Cleaning Up) That Dirty Water!
Ampion’s roots are in Boston. We love our strong, resilient city and want to make sure it remains resilient in the face of climate change and other forms of environmental destruction like pollution. A huge part of climate resiliency is preventing toxic chemicals from litter and other debris from entering our waterways, soil, or food sources. One of the biggest risks posed by litter? Marine life often confuses plastics, styrofoam, and other materials for food. This not only poses a risk to their health, but also to people, as many of us consume seafood caught off of the Boston coastline.  

The Ampion team was shocked at the amount of litter on the marshland and beachfront in East Boston. Motivated, the team suited up in neon vests, gloves, trash pickers, and trash bags. Since the tide was coming in quickly, the Ampion group was instructed to start by picking up trash close to the shoreline to avoid it from being swept out to sea with the rising tide. The team got to work picking up small pieces of plastic, styrofoam, textiles, and other trash. Gradually, the group moved backward to the marsh. The most interesting pieces of trash the crew found? A destroyed foam mattress pad, a life vest, and full bottled beverages. 

That Ampion team left that day feeling accomplished for getting all that trash out of East Boston's marshland and beach. It wasn't just about picking up litter or outcompeting each other in finding the most garbage. More than anything, this experience was an impactful reminder of why it matters to care for our environment. Boston is a city that many of us at Ampion proudly call home. We’re going to continue playing our part in keeping it beautiful and safe for everyone. 

AMPION VOLUNTEERS: BOSTON HARBORWALK CLEANUP

During Earth Month, we’re reminded of the need to put our planet at the forefront. Faced with the colossal problem of climate change, it’s natural for people to feel like there’s nothing they can do. This Earth Month, we’re providing ways that you can help the environment – both locally and globally – and make a real difference.

## 1. Sign Up for Community Solar
We may be a little biased on this one – but joining a Community Solar program is truly the easiest way to help the planet this Earth Month! When you sign up for Community Solar, you can feel good about fueling the grid with clean, climate-friendly energy. The best part? Signing up for Community Solar means you can support clean energy at no additional cost – and even save money – no rooftop required!

![](https://www.datocms-assets.com/50319/1650641784-farm-grid-community-1.png)

**Here’s how it works:** 
1. Ampion matches you to a solar farm and assigns you a share of the electricity it generates based on your typical monthly usage. 
2. The solar farm produces clean energy and delivers it to the grid, increasing the renewable energy available to your community. 
3. Credits are applied to your bill each month depending on the size of your share of the solar energy produced. You’re charged for the energy at a discounted rate (either kWh rate reductions or a fixed discount, depending on your utility company).
4. Want to learn more about Community Solar and see if you’re eligible? 


Want to learn more about Community Solar and see if you’re eligible? 


[![](https://www.datocms-assets.com/50319/1650643950-let-s-go.png)](https://ampion.net/join)



## 2. Write to a local official
We believe that global changes begin on a local level. When it comes to helping facilitate the clean energy transition, the best place to start is in your own community. Change can start by making your voice heard to changemakers – specifically, members of Congress. To make your voice heard this Earth Month, write a letter or an email to your local representative asking them to support clean energy, and explain why it’s important to you. 

Although customized emails and letters tend to be the most effective, you can find pre-written emails online written by organizations supporting climate activism. Those messages are crafted so that mass amounts of people can convey a meaningful message quickly and easily. (Tip: Be sure to mention that you’re a constituent of that representative right off the bat.)

To learn more about how to write a letter to your representative, [read more here.](https://citizensclimatelobby.org/blog/advocacy/how-to-write-a-letter-to-congress/) 

## 3. Attend an Earth Day Event Outside (or Online)
A quick Google search should result in at least a few Earth Month events and opportunities in your community. No matter where you live, there are likely Earth Month-related events such as hikes, cleanups, or demonstrations that you can take part in. 

![](https://www.datocms-assets.com/50319/1650646389-beach-cleanup-earth-month-2022-2.png)


Although outdoor events can get you in the spirit of Earth Month, there are plenty of online events you can attend right from your couch. National and state climate organizations take Earth Month as an opportunity for webinars, Facebook Live events, and other educational events that you can participate in from home. Visit [earthday.org](https://www.earthday.org/) to learn more.

## 4. Get Gardening 
Help support our pollinators and local agriculture by planting flowers, grasses, and native plants. 

Plants and animals (including humans) are dependent on pollinators like bumble bees, dragonflies, and hummingbirds for survival. Pollinators cultivate crops, food sources, and trees that provide us with oxygen. Unfortunately, however, pollinator populations have been declining for decades due to deforestation and changing temperatures. 

Starting your own pollinator-friendly garden is the perfect way to help plantlife, animal life, and the environment this Earth Month. 

![](https://www.datocms-assets.com/50319/1650646281-gardening-photo.png)

## 5.  Join or Support Climate-Positive Organizations
Become a member of local, national, or international organizations enabling climate change solutions. Some examples include the Sierra Club, 350.org, Greenpeace, Climate Action Network, The Climate Reality Project, and many more. 

These organizations send members regular updates on climate initiatives and ways to help, so you can take part in Earth-friendly activities all year long, in addition to Earth Month. 

Tackling a global problem like climate change is going to take a lot of individual action. And that means it can start with you!



Earth Month Activities that Make a Real Impact 

*People, process and platform – that's what makes Ampion a unique, leading subscription and revenue management company for distributed generation developers. All three are important, but it’s the people who enable the processes and the platform.* 

Account Management is an integral part of the “people” aspect. The team is dedicated to realizing our clients’ revenues while managing their community solar and other CDG sites. Meet the leader of these operations, Sana Jameel, our VP of Account Management. 

Sana has been dazzling Ampion’s clients and perfecting the client experience since 2018. She has nearly a decade of experience in the clean energy industry. Our developer and asset owner clients interact with Sana on a day-to-day basis. They rave about her attention to detail and commitment to service. A “people person,” her passion for client service and the clean energy transition drives her every move. She oversees all client communications, internal coordination and revenue reporting. 

## Q: Can you walk us through your day-to-day in Account Management?
**A:** My work varies every day, but half of my time is dedicated to client communication, whether that's on the phone or in-person, in their office or in conferences. It's definitely a lot of relationship building and communication, which has to be my favorite aspect of the role. I’ve been speaking to some of our clients for five years now, so we have a really positive rapport. **They have my cell phone number, so they can call me any time with questions.** 

The other half of my role is data and project management, ensuring that the information that we are absorbing from various places on behalf of our clients is logged appropriately in our systems. This allows other departments within Ampion to be more effective in serving both our clients and subscribers. The feedback that we get from clients about their sites lets the Revenue Management team know how and when to resize allocations, or which sites to assign new subscribers to based on the date the solar farms go live. Customer Care also needs to know that information and log it in a systematic way so that they are providing the right information to our customers.

## Q: What’s one Account Management activity that provides the most value to clients?
**A:** I will say that **managing the data and giving clients access to insights** is an unexpected bonus for many new clients. True profit optimization in community solar requires a lot more than basic price times quantity calculations in a spreadsheet. While initial subscriber acquisition is obviously important, the ongoing revenue management part of the process is where our clients make their money. 

Your site produces clean energy. If the site is underallocated, or if you can’t access the credits due to data exchange challenges (which are so common in this industry), that energy can’t generate revenue. 

This is the hard work of billing, allocating subscribers to sites, responding quickly to inevitable curveballs from utilities, effectively collecting payment, and so much more. It’s all these processes together that drive revenue realization. 

I feel fortunate to work with industry veterans who have years of experience working with utilities. These colleagues had the foresight early on in the company’s history to **prioritize data access and robust software systems**. Every day I see how important it is to be on top of the data, and to continuously update the platform as the industry evolves. I really don’t know how I’d do my job– helping developers get the most value from their community solar sites– without such a strong technology platform and team. 

## Q: What's your favorite part about your role? 
**A:** I really like knowing that I’m contributing to an important mission. The work that we're doing is really impactful. It’s gratifying to know that everything I do today is helping to drive growth in the solar industry, pushing additional clean energy to the grid and reducing our reliance on fossil fuels. 

## Q: You started at Ampion in 2018 – what has your experience been like since you joined? 
**A:** I've been here since October of 2018. The company itself was much smaller. Interestingly, we were just launching our first more large-scale, traditional community solar acquisition campaign and it was really grassroots, which is very different from how our company has scaled to date. Now we’re serving clients across the country for a range of distributed generation sources. We've definitely grown and scaled substantially since I started.

I joined as an Account Manager; that was my initial title. I really got to build this department from the ground up. It was really trial and error, and we quickly learned how we want to manage our client relationships. We developed the right cadence for meeting with clients on the phone and in person. I'm excited to continue growing the team and mentoring account managers that we onboard, especially as we continue to expand our base of developer and investor clients.

## Q: How have you seen the community solar industry change since you joined Ampion?
**A:** It's changed quite a bit, and there’s been more change recently than ever before. The fact that the federal government released incentives in the [Inflation Reduction Act](https://ampion.net/inflation-reduction-act) is very telling of how community solar and (CDG more broadly) is maturing as a market. The federal government is investing a ton of money into the industry. That is a positive indicator of industry growth. It is federal recognition that community solar has the potential to benefit millions more people. 

Community solar has also gained recognition in the commercial space. When I first started, commercial entities weren’t aware of community solar. Now, we talk with Fortune 500 enterprises and smaller commercial entities all the time about ways to save money on electricity while achieving aggressive ESG goals. Most of them have heard of community solar and are eager to learn more. I think recognition will continue to grow as these markets mature.

Since I started, state markets have evolved in positive ways. [New York](https://ampion.net/where-is-community-solar/new-york) and [Massachusetts](https://ampion.net/where-is-community-solar/massachusetts) were early adopters of community solar. Although there are still some growing pains, I think they've gotten past most of them, and those programs are running pretty seamlessly. Massachusetts and New York are also some of the largest programs in the country, with significant volumes of management capacity. But the number of new markets that have emerged since I've been here has also grown dramatically. Those are all positive indicators that the industry is not only growing, but here to stay.

## Q: What's a common question that you get from clients and how do you successfully answer that question? 
**A:** Clients often ask how they can optimize the revenue that is generated by these projects. The answer is always very nuanced and specific to markets and utilities; it's usually all policy-driven. It is an important question because ultimately, our clients need to maximize revenue to improve the return on their invested capital. Better ROI creates incentive to build more sites. The more our clients build, the closer we both are to achieving our mutual missions. So of course, we want to optimize their revenue as much as possible. 

Investors and developers who we work with view Ampion as an expert in the space. These clients have mastered building renewable energy assets and getting them through the interconnection and permitting processes, but most of them look to us for administrative and policy guidance. We’re lucky to have a Regulatory and Policy team that is personable and incredibly easy to work with. I rely heavily on our Regulatory & Policy Team for important information to help clients succeed. 

Our Finance Team will also help define revenue optimization strategies such as, “Which factors should be included in our clients’ models?” Account Management is able to provide clients with dedicated research into specific market policies and understanding how credits are valued, allocation rules in a particular market and what incentives are available. **Our teams work together to understand all those different options for revenue optimization, which we report back to clients.** I’m always happy to connect our clients with our teams, because I know they’ll come away happy and more prepared to maximize the ROI of their projects.

In addition to revenue optimization, we offer insight into strategic subscriber management. There's a lot of interest in LMI incentives now, at both the state and federal levels. We understand the desire for incentives because they're so lucrative, but I think Ampion also has a unique perspective. We believe that credit value at the time of generation is extremely important, but we also want to think long term about an optimal subscriber mix. We understand where revenue shortfalls can occur and how to prevent them. We look into which state-implemented programs may inherently mitigate nonpayment issues and churn, such as consolidated utility billing. **We go beyond just numbers on a spreadsheet.**

## Q: What’s an example of information your team provides that clients really appreciate?
**A:** They really appreciate the bidirectional flow of information and how easy we make it for them to give and receive information that is crucial to maximizing project ROI. 

We take the projection for our initial allocation sizing, and then proactively adjust subscription sizes on an ongoing basis depending on subscriber energy usage. Optimizing allocations like this is not only great for the client and their revenue, but it’s also extremely important for the subscriber experience. We want to make sure subscribers are getting the maximum benefit from the program, too. 

## **Q: What inspired you to work in community solar? Or the cleantech and clean energy industry in general?** 
**A:** I'm the youngest of three and as I was applying to college, my siblings had suggested that I choose a STEM-focused major. I valued what they had to say because they both were either graduated or in college at that time. Environmental Science jumped out at me just because I was worried about climate change – and still do of course, and learned a bit about environmental impacts in high school. Al Gore was Vice President for my first eight years of life and my dad was a big fan of his. I think that definitely had an influence on me. When I went to college, I started to really like my classes, learning about the human impact on the environment and how mitigating it is really in the best interest of everyone on the planet. I really aligned with it.

After I graduated, I landed a role at a Boston-based home energy efficiency startup. It was a large, fast-growing startup and they offered home energy efficiency products to Massachusetts homeowners. I sat near the community solar team, and I heard them on the phone pitching the product to subscribers. I thought it was fascinating because rooftop solar access is pretty restrictive. I ended up working in the rooftop solar space for the next few years, but I always had community solar in the back of my mind.

In 2018, I saw a job description for a role at Ampion and I applied. I was so thrilled when I got the role–**I really liked that Ampion was hyper-focused on client service.** 

## Q: What’s your favorite part about working at Ampion? 
**A:** I really appreciate the culture here. I have found a lot of professional development opportunities here at Ampion. My favorite memories from Ampion have to be from our summer company outings. The Ampion Summer Outing is something everyone looks forward to each year; I'm glad that we've been able to maintain that tradition of going to Thompson Island in Boston Harbor. It's an employee appreciation day. 

![Sana](https://www.datocms-assets.com/50319/1710347803-2-8184770900-r1-e018-edited.png)

One of my favorite memories is the first conference that I went to with Ampion, which was the Community Solar Power Summit. I'd never been to a professional conference before as a representative for a company. It was definitely a big professional development moment for me to be able to connect with clients in person and experience a large-scale industry event. I know this industry is pretty male-dominated, but I met a lot of women and saw a lot of diversity at the conference. It was inspiring and motivating to see. I've been to a number of conferences since then; that aspect of my role is awesome. 

## Q: What do you like to do when you’re not working?
**A:** I’m a big concert-goer. I go to a concert or live music venue just about every weekend. If there’s live music, I’m there. Having grown up in the Boston area, I’m also a big Celtics fan. I try to go to a few games a season. I’ll root for any Boston sports team, though! 

I also love to cook. I’m Pakistani, so I like to learn Pakistani recipes through my family and keep the tradition going. If I have a family of my own, I want to pass those recipes along to them. 

Also, I have a cat named Sock.

![Sock](https://www.datocms-assets.com/50319/1710347959-image-from-ios-edited.png)

News & Updates

Navisun and Ampion Partner to Deliver Community Solar Savings to Customers and Expand to New Markets Across the U.S.