In June we celebrate pride month to commemorate the anniversary of the Stonewall riots. Third Sun Solar stands with the LGBTQIA+ community during June for Pride Month, as well as year-round.

To celebrate Pride Month, Third Sun Solar is making donations to Ohio-based organizations supporting the LGBTQIA+ community. We look forward to sharing these stories with you over the course of the month.

JEDI Work

We’re eager to share the work our member-owned purchasing cooperative, Amicus Solar Cooperative has been working on over the past year, through the Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion group (JEDI). Third Sun Solar’s Chief Operating Officer, Roberta Washburn has been heading up the Human Resources and Policy Committee.

When asked what the group has been up to over the past year, Roberta says: “We are reviewing language, and policies to create an inclusive and welcoming environment to retain and attack team members.

We look at policies, job descriptions, handbook language, position postings, and all things HR to ensure they are using inclusive language and include policies to make sure employees of all backgrounds feel welcome and supported.

We are creating shared documentation, for building a more inclusive workforce.”

Here are some fundamental principles that Amicus Cooperative members share, statements developed from the work for the JEDI HR Committee.

We welcome any organizations, business leaders, or HR professionals to incorporate this language into their own policies and use the text as building blocks for action at your organization and in your community.

• We believe that business is about so much more than numbers and that we can have a positive impact on the people in our orbit, from our customers to our community to our employees.
• We believe that business should be a force for good: for the environment, for our communities, for our customers, and for the people who work here. In order to positively influence each of those stakeholders, we must carefully consider how our actions ripple out into the world.
• We seek to improve team members’ lives through fair pay and human-centered policies that care for the whole person and not just for our business interests.
• We dedicate time and resources to ensure that all races, all genders, and all personal identities know that they are integral to our company.
• When we think about our company, we recognize that our culture is the sum of our people – and each new team member adds to the richness of our company. We don’t expect you to fit a mold; we hope that you will add something new, even as we all pursue a common mission.
• We enjoy learning from each other’s perspectives – it would be awfully boring if we all agreed on everything.
• Welcome home; we all have a purpose here
• To achieve a sustainable future, climate justice, and social justice must go hand in hand
• When people feel respected and included, they are empowered to be more creative, innovative, and successful.

“We celebrate Pride because we are committed to a more diverse and inclusive future — for our business, our community, the solar industry, and our world.” – Geoff Greenfield, CEO

Our core value of growth demonstrates that we are always striving to be better

We know that we can always be better accomplices, friends, and allies to marginalized groups, including the LGBTQI+ community.

We will continue sharing our stories as we celebrate and grow. We hope you will join us.