Sun Day Bham! A Shared Vision for Sustainability, Nature & Community

At the Cahaba Alliance for Conservation and Sustainability (CACS), we are committed to protecting natural ecosystems, supporting sustainable development, and empowering communities across the Cahaba watershed. That’s why we are proud to partner with Sun Day Bham!, a pop-up market to celebrate solar energy and community resilience that uplifts solutions for a cleaner, fairer energy future.

📅 Sunday, September 21🕐 1:00 – 4:00 PM📍 Avondale United Methodist Church (indoors – rain or shine)💰 $200 cash prize to a lucky attendee!

👉 Sign up and read about how to win here: https://actionnetwork.org/events/sun-day-bham/

🌞 What Is Sun Day?

Sun Day is a national day of celebration and action centered on the power of the sun—our most abundant and democratic source of energy. First launched in 1978 through a Congressional resolution signed by President Jimmy Carter, Sun Day was envisioned as a solar-focused companion to Earth Day, drawing national attention to the promise of solar power and the need to transition away from fossil fuels.

Today, Sun Day has been revived as a people-powered movement by environmental author and climate advocate Bill McKibben. As the founder of this renewed Sun Day effort, McKibben and fellow climate organizers have created a platform for local communities to celebrate solar energy and advocate for clean energy policy across the country.

From neighborhood parades to policy campaigns, Sun Day is now a grassroots call to build an energy future that is clean, affordable, and fair—one where the sun powers not just our homes, but a more just and sustainable society.

☀️ Why Sun Day Bham! Matters for Alabama

Alabama is one of the sunniest states in the country, yet less than 1% of our electricity comes from solar energy. Instead, outdated regulations and monopoly utility practices have kept us tethered to coal and gas:

• The James H. Miller Jr. coal plant, located just 25 miles from Avondale, is the highest-polluting power plant in the United States.

• Alabama Power imposes a unique monthly fee—often referred to as a “solar tax”—on homeowners who install rooftop solar panels.

• The Alabama Public Service Commission (PSC), which regulates Alabama Power, has so far failed to support meaningful clean energy.

Sun Day Bham! provides a hopeful, joyful space for our communities to imagine something different—an Alabama powered by clean, affordable, job-creating solar energy that benefits people and planet alike.

🌎 Why CACS Supports Sun Day

Our support for Sun Day Bham! is rooted in our core mission:

• Conservation of Nature: Solar energy helps reduce pollution, protect biodiversity, and preserve clean water in the Cahaba watershed and beyond.

• Sustainable Development: Clean energy brings economic opportunity to Alabama communities—lower energy bills, local jobs, and resilience in the face of climate change.

• Community Empowerment: Sun Day reflects our belief that environmental progress must come from the ground up—driven by informed, engaged, and inspired communities.

📬 Take Action for Solar Power in Alabama

We encourage you to email PSC President Cynthia Almond (📧 Cynthia.Almond@psc.alabama.gov) and urge her to:

• End the unfair solar tax that impedes rooftop solar

• Modernize Alabama’s energy regulations to encourage, rather than deter, industrial scale solar power

Please include your name, address, and a short note on why solar energy matters to you.

For more background, search:🔍 “Energy Alabama: Alabama Public Service Commission”🔍 “Energy Alabama: Investing in Alabama’s Future: The Economic Case for Clean Energy”

🎉 Join the Movement at Sun Day Bham!

Sun Day Bham! is more than a market—it’s part of a national movement that uplifts solar energy as a tool for equity, sustainability, and shared prosperity. Just as Earth Day built a public mandate for environmental protection, Sun Day calls us to shape a future powered by the sun.

Join CACS and our partners in Birmingham to celebrate solar power, learn from local vendors and organizations, and be part of the growing movement for energy justice.

🔗 RSVP Now and shine with us on September 21.