This past election saw a swing back toward conservative control of Congress, which could stymie the growth of the solar and renewable industries in the United States.

To keep that from happening, the American Solar Energy Society (ASES) is building the Rise-Up Solar Nation campaign, which aims to have 1 million members to help influence Congress to pass legislation supporting the solar and renewable industries, which as of 2007, employed 9 million Americans.

“The campaign for a solar nation is a bold call to action for our chapters like CRES, the solar advocates everywhere who will become known as the Rise Up campaign,” said Brad Collins, ASES national campaign director and former executive director during a presentation at the Colorado Renewable Energy Society’s monthly meeting on Nov. 18. “The sun rises up every day. It’s time for us to rise up and make this change happen, and we can do this.”

The Rise-Up campaign will generate about $500,000 before it really gets underway, Collins said.

“We’re going to raise 25 million dollars; we’re going to ask the million solar citizens to each give us 25 dollars,” he said. “You give us 25 bucks, we’ll make this happen. And we’re going to focus on solar energy’s immediate potential to improve the environment, increase energy independence create jobs and make America more competitive—all good things.”

The campaign also will fight against misinformation, propagated by the fossil fuel industry, Collins said.

According to Collins, the campaign will seek to recreate the successes of the Solar Lobby of the 1980’s.

“There were about 60,000 people in the Solar Lobby,” he said. “Members of Congress called the Solar Lobby and asked for advice on rule-making and legislative writing because they knew it was a powerful group. That’s what we need to do. We need to create a powerful movement.”

The campaign, he explained, will focus on social change as a means to increase awareness of solar’s benefits.

“Here’s the marvelous thing about social change, all you have to do is create the momentum,” he said. “The change agents, the decision makers, the politicians, the spokesmen, the key stakeholders all around will be attracted to that. They will stand proudly in front of that parade and take it for their own. And more power to them. We don’t have to own this. We don’t have to lead it. All we have to do is start it.”

Pictured: Brad Collins.