In Madison, Wisconsin, Susan Millar recently hosted an unusual open house. Rather than selling her home, she invited curious strangers to explore her heat pump, solar panels, battery storage system, and modern electric induction stove, showcasing her commitment to sustainable living.
Millar’s event was just one of over 450 ‘Sun Day’ gatherings happening nationwide. This massive demonstration of solar power and renewable energy, primarily scheduled for the Sunday before the Autumn solar equinox, includes a diverse range of activities like electric vehicle parades, community church sermons, and numerous home tours across almost all 50 states.
Millar proudly explained that even a 90-year-old home like hers can operate entirely without burning fossil fuels, demonstrating a future free from traditional energy sources.
The concept for Sun Day originated with climate activist and New Yorker writer Bill McKibben, who noticed the plummeting costs of renewable energy. Over the past 15 years, solar power has become the most affordable energy source globally, with its cost dropping by almost 90 percent.
McKibben eloquently contrasts solar power’s past perception as a ‘nice but pricey’ option (like Whole Foods) with its current reality as the ‘Costco of power’—affordable, abundant, and readily accessible.
Illustrating her point, an image of the back of Ms. Millar’s Madison home reveals its integrated solar panels and a vegetable garden, a testament to her claim that older homes can indeed operate without combustion.
A photograph from a 2023 climate rally in Washington shows Bill McKibben, a prominent journalist and activist, speaking at an event organized by Third Act, a climate group he co-founded.
This nationwide solar celebration arrives amidst a challenging political climate. The Trump administration and Republican-controlled Congress have actively sought to dismantle incentives for electric vehicles, heat pumps, and solar installations. They have also cut funding for initiatives such as ‘Solar for All,’ a program designed to bring solar energy to low-income communities, and have obstructed the offshore wind industry by halting wind farm construction projects.
Simultaneously, the administration is pushing for increased development and consumption of fossil fuels like oil, gas, and coal, which are known contributors to global warming.
Interestingly, this isn’t the first ‘Sun Day’ in American history. President Jimmy Carter, a pioneer in solar advocacy, installed 32 solar panels on the White House and inaugurated the first Sun Day on May 3, 1978. However, those panels were later removed by President Ronald Reagan.
In states predominantly led by Republicans, some Sun Day organizers are leveraging these events to showcase robust grassroots support for clean energy solutions.
Lisa Young, director of the Idaho Sierra Club chapter, pointed out that community solar initiatives—where multiple households share a single solar installation—have encountered resistance from local utilities and lack supportive state legislation. Idaho also forfeited $56 million in federal ‘Solar for All’ grants due to cancellations by the Environmental Protection Agency.
A local example of this community effort is Shari Baber, owner and master stylist at Cut-N-Up and Company in Boise, Idaho, featured in a photograph from her salon.
The Idaho Sierra Club chapter, under Young’s guidance, has arranged several Sun Day events, including bilingual workshops, an electric car expo, and a bicycle rally. A highlight is a party celebrating a crowdfunding campaign to install community solar panels on a Boise hair salon.
Shari Baber, the salon owner, shared that while solar installation costs once posed a barrier for some Black communities in Boise, declining prices and significant savings on electricity bills now make it an attractive option, and she hopes her business can inspire others.
In the Washington, D.C. area, Natalie Pien is hosting one of over 80 planned home tours. She noted that since installing solar panels on her Virginia residence 15 years ago, her monthly energy bills plummeted from over $150 to around $35. Thanks to net metering, a utility program that credits her for excess electricity fed back into the grid, she frequently pays nothing during the summer.
These net metering programs are crucial for residential solar adoption, with most states offering some variation. A study highlighted that net metering can double homeowner demand for solar installations.
Sun Day’s reach extends internationally, with events planned in Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom, and Europe. In Germany, for instance, an event will educate residents on new regulations for ‘balkonkraftwerk’ – balcony-mounted solar panels, which are already popular in over half a million German households.
Even without solar panels, Joe Ackerman in Winnipeg, Canada, is participating in Sun Day. He explained that his home’s orientation and the heavy snowfall in his region make traditional solar panel installation impractical.
Nevertheless, Dr. Ackerman successfully transitioned his century-old home off natural gas heating by upgrading insulation and utilizing an electric heater and wood stove.
He emphasized, ‘No improvement to your home is too small; bit by bit, you can achieve your sustainability goals.’
Bobby Monacella, a senior organizer for Mothers Out Front, and Lane Boldman, director of the Kentucky Conservation Committee, are also involved, as seen in their respective photographs.
Sun Day goes beyond residential showcases. In Kentucky, Lane Boldman of the Kentucky Conservation Committee will demonstrate her solar-powered Winnebago, enabling off-grid camping, as part of an event co-hosted by various nonprofits.
Meanwhile, in Virginia, Fairfax County schools are using one of their electric school buses to power a live band and a cotton candy machine at an event, showcasing the versatility of their expanding electric fleet.
Bobby Monacella, an organizer for the nonprofit Mothers Out Front, enthusiastically stated, ‘Every electric school bus we deploy removes greenhouse gases from the atmosphere and pollution from children’s lungs. Each new electric school bus feels like a significant victory.’
The grandest Sun Day celebration is anticipated in Portland, Oregon, where a coalition of local groups has orchestrated a large-scale festival. This vibrant event will feature 25 food vendors, a parade traversing a local bridge, captivating Indigenous dance performances, and an array of giant papier-mâché animal puppets soaring above the attendees.
Laura Iwanaga, who spearheaded Portland’s Sun Day organization for the local chapter of Third Act—McKibben’s climate advocacy group—expressed her vision: ‘I truly wanted this event to be celebratory and inspiring. We often focus on what we’re fighting against, but it’s equally important to remember what we’re fighting for.’