Blog

February 11, 2025

February '25 Newsletter

Hello friends!

February is Black History Month. Black History is American History and it is World History! We all have an immense responsibility to learn and to celebrate Black History. There are countless Black people and stories to uplift during this month and for this newsletter, I want to briefly highlight the work of Ella Jo Baker. Ella Jo Baker (1903-1986) was an activist and one of the most important figures in the Civil Rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s. She was founder of Southern Christian Leadership Conference, a key leader in the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and national officer in the NAACP. Ella Jo was known for staying out of the limelight and doing most of her critical work from behind-the-scenes. She also saw the power of cooperative economics, and some of her first organizing was as a founder and National Director of the Young Negroes’ Co-operative League (YNCL) in the 1930s.


Ella Jo Baker in 1964

Much like Cleveland Solar Cooperative, the YNCL said their primary goal was “to gain economic power through consumer cooperation." Whether it is solar energy or groceries, it only makes sense to leverage and organize our money into places that build up our communities! Our two cooperatives are separated by nearly a century and though tremendous progress has been made, our struggle for freedom in the context of racial capitalism still remains.

Learn more about Ella Baker's life and work through this short video, this article and this one from the National Cooperative Business Association celebrating her as their first Unsung Cooperative Hero. If you're interested in learning a lot more (and you should be!) check out her biography here.

Below are some updates about our cooperative - including some big news about future host sites!
 

Two Letters of Intent Signed! 🎉

Our board is excited to announce two new Letters of Intent (LOI) signed in January with Lakeside Bible Church and Aspen Place - owned by Northwest Neighborhoods CDC!

Lakeside Bible Church an East Cleveland based church and home to CSC board member Darnell Jennings. This beautiful space has graciously hosted many of our events! Northwest Neighborhoods CDC is "is the nonprofit provider of affordable housing and community development services for Cudell, Detroit Shoreway and Edgewater on the west side of Cleveland, Ohio." Aspen Place is a 40-unit apartment building located by the 65th RTA station in Detroit Shoreway neighborhood's EcoVillage.

Letters of Intent are non-binding agreements between our cooperative and a host site that say both sides think this could be mutually-beneficial and to begin detailed conversations on the final terms of the Power Purchase Agreement (PPA). Building community-owned solar is not a straightforward process! Cleveland Solar Cooperative had previously been in negotiations to put a community-owned solar array on Aspen Place back in 2021 and 2022. We are excited to pick up and start new conversations with these organizations.



Birds-eye-view of Lakeside Bible Church (top) and Aspen Place (bottom) with the proposed community-owned solar arrays

We'll keep you up-to-date about our progress and opportunities to get involved with the process. If you know of a roof that is in need of community-owned solar, don't hesitate to reach out!
 

An Opportunity for Resilience

The Cleveland area is often touted as a place "safe" from climate change. Compared to many places, our homes may not see as dramatic or catastrophic changes, but no one can escape climate chaos. Two years ago, smoke from fires hundreds of miles away choked our city for days on end. The last two summers, our neighborhoods have been rocked by long power outages following strong summer storms. During those blackouts, I remember the uncertainty of what to do, wondering when my power would come back on, and the concern my neighbors had about powering lifesaving medical equipment.

Our cooperative is about coming together to fight back against the climate crisis. Cleveland Solar Cooperative has partnered with Cleveland Owns for a grant application that if successful, will fund the installation of battery back-up systems at Lakeside Bible Church and Aspen Place, in addition to the two community-owned solar arrays. Places like this are sometimes called Resilience Hubs, and more communities are building them! When we are faced with periods of climate crisis, those batteries will create a place with power for people like my neighbor to charge her medical equipment. We are hopeful the grant will be successful, and regardless of the outcome, are looking for ways to increase our communities' resilience.

Also important to note that the construction of the arrays is not reliant on this grant but would make our work just a little bit easier.
 

February Member Meet-up - Galentine’s Day!

Come join us this Thursday at Unbar for a casual meet up with some of your fellow member-owners. Member Meet-ups are an opportunity to get to know the folks you co-own the cooperative with and bring new folks into the co-op!


RSVP Here for Our February Member Meet-up  

Signing Ceremony Report Back

In January, member-owners got together at Lakeside Bible Church to sign our relatively new membership stock agreements. These new forms are a result of member-owners voting to change our bylaws last May. As CSC board member Patrick Ziemnik said “These updated agreements are more than just a formality. They are a commitment between all of us as a cooperative. They represent our shared values of democracy, community-ownership, and a truly Just Transition away from extractive fossil fuels.”

CSC Board Members Tim Dewald and Jonathan Welle officially signing forms

We also had a great keynote speech from Roger Sikes, member-owner and Policy & Advocacy Campaigner with Solar United Neighbors. Check out the great video Tim Dewald put together for the event for our instagram (like and subscribe!) and some photos below.


Member-owners celebrating the milestone together


Solidarity,– Craig, your Energy Democracy Organizer