Planet Good Radio  

Show Notes

• Archived Blog Post

  Date / Time: 2/3/2009 5:22 PM UTC

  Green Jobs and the Upcoming Economic Stimulus Package
  

  This week's guest is Shawn Jacobson, Energy Consultant and Marketing Director for California Solar Electric.  Shawn acquired knowledge of sustainability and renewable energy technologies while growing up in Athens, OH.  His mother was known as the "Compost Queen," and Shawn spent much of his youth in the gardens, swimming in ponds, and exploring the surrounding woodlands.  He was also introduced to wildlife and habitat restoration at an early age as his neighbor, the late Ora Anderson (naturalist, writer), restored over 100 acres of old farmland into a wilderness preserve. In addition to this, his mother included him in the care of an Osprey rehabilitation site on the Ohio River. 
  
  In his high-school years, Shawn worked with a sterling technology research and development company called Global Cooling.  There he began to develop an understanding of energy efficiency and the emerging green technologies.  During this period of time he also assisted in the construction of his family's passive/active solar home.  After high-school, he moved to Santa Barbara, CA, where he continued with his studies and pursued an active role in the community environmental movement. 
  
  While attending Santa Barbara City College in 2003, he co-founded and chaired the Santa Barbara City College Student Sustainability Coalition,  co-created a course entitled "Projects in Sustainability," and assisted in the development of the SBCC Center for Sustainability.  In addition to his studies and student activism, he served as a wilderness kayak guide at the Channel Islands National Park, and taught sustainable living at the  Ambassador's of the Environment Program with Ocean Future's Society.  While attending UCSB he also acted as a research assistant/cartographer for a renewable energy lobbyist group in Washington D.C. 
  
  Currently he lives and works in Ojai, CA with his wife Maya and child Julian.  Shawn  is working more than full-time for California Solar Electric as a solar energy consultant, education coordinator, and marketing director.  With the spare time left, he volunteers with various sustainability organizations throughout the tri-counties including but not limited to the Ojai Valley Green Coalition, The Green Coalition of Ventura County, Transition Towns, and anything else that he can assist with. He holds an A.A. from Santa Barbara City College in Photography and Graphic Design, and a BA in Geography at UCSB with an emphasis in energy and sustainability. 
  
  Aside from doing everything he can to move the future of our energy production and to renewables, Shawn enjoys surfing, kayaking, hiking, bird-watching, pottery, photography, playing the bass guitar, and spending quality time with his family and friends.
  
  • Tags:
  • green jobs
  • economic stimulus
  • Shawn Jacobson
  • California Solar Ele
  • Permalink