In my neighborhood we have been battered with high winds and heavy rains not seen in over 100 years resulting in flooding and electrical outages across the state. Climate change’s affects aren’t something to worry about in the future or in some distant part of the world. It is here today in our communities.

Grid resiliency isn’t future tech, It is about all the tough jobs out there to keep the infrastructure of our cities running. Skilled, on-site jobs like electricians, plumbers and arborists who are working hard right now to keep our communities functioning.

These are the most valuable players we need in the fight to decarbonize our grid. There aren’t enough of them to reach the speed and scale we need to rebuild our infrastructure to be climate resilient and clean.

How do we build an army of electricians and other skilled workers to be the front-line to keep our existing grid stable while a clean, resilient, modern grid is built?

The answer is simple, gratitude! Let’s celebrate these jobs and the workers who do them. Best thing we can all do today, if you see a crew coming off a job, thank them and offer them a six pack to relax after a hard day or some small token of your appreciation.

A big thank you to the PG&E workers out there and all the front-line climate workers out this week. I would be remiss if I didn’t recognize PG&E has a spotted safety record with preventative maintenance. Corporate actions aside, today I choose to celebrate the folks in the field.

A key pillar to grid resiliency is the people who keep our cities and neighborhoods running. Thank you team!