The Fight for Clean Energy

[ ](https://blip.tv/file/get/Insurgent-LetsGreenwashThisCity597.mov) [click here to download](https://blip.tv/file/get/Insurgent-LetsGreenwashThisCity597.mov) As I got on BART on my way home from work tonight the woman behind me suggested that I look a lot like “Josh Wolf,” and a conversation quickly developed as we travelled into San Francisco. Her name is Poonam and she explained to me about how she and the rest of the [Green Guerrillas Against Greenwash](https://letsgreenwashthiscity.org/) have been mounting an assault against the local energy monopoly [PG&E](https://pge.com/), and their recent ad campaign [Let’s Green This City](https://letsgreenthiscity.com/). The Guerrillas have allied themselves with the [Community Choice Energy Alliance](https://communitychoiceenergy.org/) and together they are working to ensure that the city and county of San Francisco implement Community Choice Aggregation to allow the city to develop its own energy plan. The goal is for 51% of San Francisco’s energy usage to come from renewable resources by the year 2017 without raising costs for consumers and both groups feel that this target is achievable if, and only if, the city cuts its ties with PG&E. I joined Poonam and the rest of the Green Guerillas in a house in the Mission where we dined on homemade gourmet vegetarian food and sipped vintage red wine as we discussed the need for clean energy and the Guerilla’s plans to make sure that it’s more than just a pipe dream. Earlier in the day the group had staged an action in front of City Hall to raise awareness about Gavin Newsom’s questionable relationship with the energy juggernaut, and much of the meeting was spent de-briefing the days activities and brainstorming for future actions. Unfortunately I missed the protest, but I did find a video on [Indybay](https://indybay.org/newsitems/2007/05/23/18420461.php) that helped fill me in on what I missed. The clip above was derived from that video; I removed one scene for pacing and clarity purposes.