Supporting Communities

The well-being of our communities is important to us, and we believe it is our responsibility to contribute to their growth and vitality. Empowering our employees and customers to take action on the environment is just one way we help make things better.

Volunteering for the Environment

Many of our employees donate their time, enthusiasm and expertise to their communities and neighbors through our Volunteer Program.

PG&E Volunteer

A PG&E employee volunteers for a wetland restoration project at Santa Venetia Marsh Open Space Preserve, in partnership with Save the Bay and the Marin County Open Space District.

Some highlights include:

  • Earth Day 2008—more than 1,300 PG&E employees, retirees and their friends and families worked alongside community volunteers to help clean up and restore 13 state and community parks throughout our service area. PG&E also donated $162,000 to the California State Parks Foundation to support restoration and environmental improvement projects. Over the past seven years, PG&E has contributed more than $850,000 to fund state park projects.
  • Ring the Bay—employees joined forces with Save the Bay to help restore important wetland habitat at three locations “ringing” the bay — removing non-native plants, collecting seeds, and cleaning up the shoreline.
  • San Francisco's Golden Gate Park—hundreds of employees participated in park restoration projects as part of team-building exercises.

Through PG&E's employee volunteer program, the company organized nearly 300 events and increased our employee volunteer hours to 108,000, a 20 percent increase from 2006 to 2007.

Helping Our Communities Go Solar

Our Solar Schools Program has provided dozens of underserved schools with a free 1.3-kW solar energy installation. The program also trains teachers to deliver a solar sciences curriculum and provides grants to support solar projects in the classroom.

Art at a Solar Schools Program

In 2007, PG&E invested approximately $2.5 million in the Solar Schools program, bringing the number of schools participating to 100.

Our Solar Habitat Program is a partnership between PG&E and Habitat for Humanity International and local chapters. The program funds solar electric systems on Habitat homes in northern and central California and brings money-saving solar technology and energy efficiency resources to families with limited incomes.

Giving Back to Our Communities

PG&E shareholders fund our extensive charitable contributions program, which gives millions of dollars each year to non-profit organizations, primarily in northern and central California. Our employees and retirees also pledge millions of dollars annually in donations to benefit more than 3,000 schools and nonprofit agencies, including prominent environmental groups.

For example, we are supporting the Center for Advanced Research and Technology (CART) by equipping high school juniors and seniors from the Fresno and Clovis Unified school districts with the tools necessary to solve local environmental problems. PG&E has pledged $60,000 to sponsor the environmental lab at CART. The money will be used to fund student projects, student field trips, technology, and support the technological advancement and curricular needs of the lab.

Being a Good Neighbor

The facilities used to serve our customers are often close to population centers in order to ensure reliable power and efficient service. It is our responsibility to balance the need to maintain and enhance these facilities to meet our customers' needs, with the responsibility to understand and respect the needs of our neighbors. PG&E's Environmental Justice policy and program guide our efforts to strike this balance.

Partnering for a Greener San Francisco

We have worked together with the city of San Francisco to develop alternative energy sources, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and foster sustainability. This includes bringing an enhanced energy efficiency program worth $11.5 million to the City and its energy customers. And PG&E committed another $7.5 million to increase solar power in San Francisco. Our partnership with the San Francisco Giants is just one example of our solar commitment— making AT&T Park the first ballpark in Major League Baseball to install a solar system.

News Releases

2008

2007

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