Danny Kennedy (environmentalist)

Danny Kennedy (born February 24, 1971)^[1] is a clean-technology entrepreneur,^[2] an environmental activist,^[3] and the author of the book Rooftop Revolution: How Solar Power Can Save Our Economy—and Our Planet—from Dirty Energy (2012). He founded Sungevity, a rapidly growing residential solar power company.^[3] While at Sungevity, Kennedy won a Planet Forward Innovator of the Year award^[4] from the PBS program Planet Forward. He is currently Sungevity's president.

Early life

Kennedy was born in Los Angeles^[3] to Australian parents. Kennedy and his family moved between the USA, Europe, and Australia until he was 11 years old, when his family settled in Sydney, Australia. Kennedy attended St. Aloysius School.^[1]

As a youngster Kennedy was a community organizer, fundraiser, journalist, and youth activist. At the age of 12 he was involved with a successful campaign to prevent construction of a dam in Tasmania.^[3] From 1983 he worked with the Australian Conservation Foundation on various projects including forestry protection and ozone depletion.^[1] In 1990 Kennedy was a representative at the Montreal Protocol Negotiations in London, where he met Alec Guettel (with whom he would later found Sungevity). In 1992 Kennedy organized around the first Rio Earth Summit and worked for the UN Conference on Environment and Development.^[1][5]

Career

Kennedy began working with Greenpeace in the early 1990s, as a researcher seeking to end new oil exploration in Papua New Guinea.^[3] He almost died of malaria in the process.^[3] He left Greenpeace in 1995.^[3]

In 1996 Kennedy founded and directed Project Underground, an organization focused on human rights^[3] and committed to protecting people threatened by mining and oil operations.

Kennedy became the Director of the USA Clean Energy Now Campaign in 2000, and forged the California Clean Energy Now Campaign in 2001 and 2002;^[6] this campaign helped create the state’s California Solar Initiative, which provides substantial market support that has helped many citizens go solar.^[7] He moved back to Australia in 2003 and was the Campaigns Manager for Greenpeace Australia Pacific from 2003 to 2006.

Kennedy is an acquaintance of actress, Cate Blanchett, helping her in a project to green the building of the Sydney Theatre Company.^[2]

In December 2006, Kennedy left Australia and moved to Oakland, California, to start Sungevity Inc., a residential solar power company, with colleagues Andrew Birch (CEO) and Alec Guettel (Chairman of the Board). The company designs home solar systems; finances new systems with its Solar Lease program; and manages system installation, maintenance, and performance. Kennedy founded Sungevity to promote the use of clean energy and eliminate the world’s dependence on fossil fuel. He is president of the company, serves on its board of directors, and oversees government relations and community engagement programs.^[8]

Kennedy spearheaded 2010’s “Solar on the White House” campaign,^[9] which resulted in a decision by the Obama administration to place solar panels on the First Family residence.In August 2013,after a competitive bidding process, the panels were installed.http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-politics/wp/2013/08/15/white-house-solar-panels-finally-being-installed/

Kennedy serves on the board of The Solar Foundation,^[10] a global research and education organization in Washington, DC, and Mosaic,^[11] a solar-focused, crowd-funding start-up in Oakland, California.

References

External links

• Sungevity Blog