Hear from our new Energy Affordability Team co-leads at SanDiego350!
SanDiego350’s new Energy Affordability Team works to reduce energy costs for San Diegans by fighting the political power of investor-owned utilities, especially San Diego Gas & Electric. They seek state legislation to reduce excessive profits, promote clean energy and level the playing field between the public and investor-owned utilities at the California Public Utilities Commission. At the local level, the team fights for a better deal for San Diego residents from SDG&E.
Beth Tennyson
How did you first get involved with SD350, and when was that?
I first got involved with SD350 in October 2025. I had heard of the organization from
another volunteer, Kelly Day (shout out!), who I met at a Climatebase San Diego meetup
event last year. I was new to the San Diego area, having moved back to the US from abroad
in early 2025, and I was looking for ways to get involved on supporting low-carbon energy
development and reducing emissions. Kelly recommended that a great way to get
involved and meet people was through SD350, and I am grateful for that recommendation
because she was right! I have met some great folks who share the same values and want to
get to work.
What drives your activism?
I wouldn’t describe myself as an activist rather an advocate and organizer, and I applaud
all the activists out there doing the work. I am passionate about avoiding consequences
from humanity’s ongoing self-inflicted actions, and I believe that we can act in a way that
is in harmony with both supporting the planet’s ecosystems as well as thriving as a
species. I believe it is my duty to be a champion for such an approach.
What do you recommend to people who want to have a larger impact through the environmental movement? Know your strengths and be brave. I imagine many people may feel intimated to put themselves out there, as some of the easiest things that can be done for the environmental movement may not seem rewarding or in the wheelhouse of their experience. Therefore, I think coming into the movement knowing what you are good at and where you’re comfortable is a great place to start. I personally don’t subscribe to the ‘large impact’ model of getting involved – life is about the journey and consistent grind; those small everyday steps tend to lead to something really rewarding.
What do you prioritize in your own activism? I prioritize being informed above all else. I want to ensure that I understand the context, history, and arguments so that I can make contributions that are targeted and fulfil a specific need. For me, getting an idea of where all sides of a position stand helps the overall cause, creates new (and perhaps unexpected) partnerships, and allows me to keep an open mind.
Why did you join the Energy Affordability Team? I have been passionate about solar energy for a very long time. I love the technology and even did my PhD in Materials Science and Engineering looking at ways to boost solar cell efficiency. Harnessing solar power democratizes the energy system, because the sun doesn’t discriminate who it shines on. I see and feel the struggle of the rising cost of living, and affordable energy solutions already exist – we just need to focus on implementing. 6. What excites you about the work? I am always learning, collaborating with passionate people, and working towards something that I believe in which also has the potential to help others. It really doesn’t get much better than that.
Brad Barham
1. How did you first get involved with SD350, and when was that?
My path to SD350.org ran through leaders of the Climate Action Campaign, especially because I shared that I was interested in working with a climate justice effort that had a high level of youth engagement. Then when I went to the Legislative training and saw first-hand how savvy and engaged the youth leaders were there, I was ‘sold’ on the opportunity to be a part of SD350.
2. What drives your activism?
I am 66 and have been an activist since my youth in Berkeley, California, when I participated in protests against the Vietnam War and tutored my peers at an ‘integrated school’ who were struggling with math and reading. My activism was inspired then by Martin Luther King, Jr., my lifelong hero. I like to think that my activism is driven by ‘love’, by which I mean a deep sense that we are our best selves when we strive to share, support, and uplift others and the world around us, because we love life (all forms of it) and we love sharing our life with others.
3. What do you recommend to people who want to have a larger impact through the environmental movement?
Get involved. Work locally especially at this moment in US and world history when international coordination on existential environmental challenges is so weak. We need countless bottom-up efforts around the world to set in motion a shared global effort to build a sustainable, resilient, and equitable future.
4. What do you prioritize in your own activism?
My top priority is to – in whatever ways I can – work with others to help to give future generations the opportunity to live healthy lives, love one another, and experience the natural world and all forms of life on earth in their full expression.
5. Why did you join the Energy Affordability Team?
The Energy Affordability Team has the opportunity in the next five years to work with a broad coalition to deliver clean and affordable energy for San Diego County by completing the transition to publicly owned and locally managed electric utility systems.
6. What excites you about the work?
Local solutions to a major environmental challenge are directly in front of us, and the only thing holding us back from achieving them is the challenge of building a broad grassroots movement to carry us forward. Let’s do it together with love, courage, and commitment to our cause and one another.