Mike Elwell, a freelance TV photographer who lives in Richmond, California, got so inspired by doing a video documentary on Al Gore before the movie came out that he told his wife, Susan, "We ought to go solar.

Conveniently, Mike soon met Real Goods Solar Technician Michele McGeoy at Solar Richmond, a local nonprofit whose mission is to encourage installation of more solar power on Richmond residences and businesses. The organization is chaired by Michele and was inspired by the city's mayor, Gayle McLaughlin, one of the only Green Party mayors in the country. Mike and Susan were impressed with Michele's expertise and hired Real Goods to install solar on their 2,500-sq.-ft. home.

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As a public health agency, the Contra Costa Mosquito & Vector Control District goes beyond their mission of keeping the public healthy by preventing the transmission of diseases and improving the quality of life. They are known for taking a leadership role in conservation and restoration efforts with wetland management in the Bay Area, for the protection of endangered and/or threatened species, and for promoting environmentally compatible methods of control.

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Almost immediately after buying their home, Park and Kristan Guthrie took advantage of the solar tax incentive program in California — not only as a smart environmental and energy-saving decision, but also as a way to live in tune with their values.

Park works at the Life Learning Academy, a charter high school where he teaches sustainable gardening to at-risk kids. He is also launching Urban Tilth, a nonprofit dedicated to teaching people how to improve their environment by using organic gardening techniques. The Guthries are a quintessential nature family, making their home on a rural plot of land within the city limits of San Pablo, California. Climbers and surfers, they are parents of two children with a third on the way.

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