Jamie Skaar, Solar & More, Washington
Jamie Skaar, who has been in the industry for 10 years, is the Eco Advisor at Luna Energy and lives in Washington.
Why is clean energy important to you? I enjoy the alignment and that clean energy is a win for everyone. Building owners get better efficiency, performance, improved health and more savings. It benefits the planet and environment. Companies and team members benefit from growth and adoption. It's one of the few opportunities where value is aligned for everyone to win both in the near term and long term.
What’s your proudest accomplishment in clean energy? Any time I can help a person or a business make the shift to clean energy and get involved is a moment of pride, because I know from experience that there's downstream changes that people start to make once they get involved and those benefits and the contribution to the environment continues to compound over time.
What did you do before entering clean energy? Bartender.
When were you first introduced to clean energy? I was the first hire at a startup that wasn't a friend or family member. Over the next several years it became one of the fastest growing energy startups in the country.
What should more people know about your role? The challenge broadly and individually is recognizing the value and benefits of clean energy improvements over the long term. Short term thinking and need for immediate gratification can block a lot of people from even getting started. After 10 years, I can recall so many examples of companies and people holding off because they didn't like the upfront cost or commitment. And in many of those instances people have made those investments years later at higher prices. I think to myself, if you'd have gotten involved sooner they'd have gotten so much more value by now.
How does clean energy impact your community? Of course there's all the benefits like lower bills, better performance and health. But something I feel is overlooked is that when people start investing in clean energy the way they think about the environment and community, the way people look at their future purchases shift. Just doing something for the benefit of the environment makes people feel a part of the community and there's a sense of pride and contribution that comes with making that investment.
What does clean energy mean to you and your family? There's a lot of pride and motivation to bring excellence and dedication because every person that makes an investment improves their lives, their family, the community, and the planet. Every completed project is net positive for everyone.
Why should Congress invest in clean energy jobs, not fossil fuel jobs? There are clear benefits to installing cleaner and more efficient technologies that offer more features and better performance. But even more so, there's a sense of pride, accomplishment and contribution that people experience in helping to grow positive climate impact. We're at an amazing point where we don't need to choose between our own wants and needs and the environment. We can make investments that benefit ourselves and the environment. Everyone's a winner when we invest in clean energy technologies.
