Joseph has been in the solar/electricity field for 7 years. In 2015 he was given the opportunity to follow in the footsteps of Richard Gottlieb/Carol Levin to run Sunnyside Solar. Richard and Carol were true pioneers in the solar field. Richard started early, developing solar panels for the first US space rockets. Unfortunately Richard passed on from this world but it has been a true honor and responsibility to carry that legacy for Joseph. With Joseph, Sunnyside Solar may be a small local installer in Vermont, but its mission is global.
Joseph’s academic background is typical of the aspiring law student, not electrical engineering. However, history, politics, religion and culture “knowledge” all had their turning point when Joseph actually visited many of the places he was studying. Upon discovering that much of the projection of these places was nothing short of caricatures of entire cultures, Joseph decided something needed to change. Another “system” lawyer was not the answer.
Rejecting the idea of law school and joining a commune were the first steps of a diverged path that has brought Joseph to today. That commune being completely fossil fuel free and designed as an intentional community, had a rather large impact on preconceived notions of energy delivery and development construction. After six months on the “farm”, Joseph began an eight month Appalachian Trail hike with a pack goat named Ali Baba. This trip was riddled with deep contemplations over breathtaking scenery in which many light bulbs “popped.”
It was apparent that the more an energy source or material was needed, the more whatever culture happened to live above those resources was demonized. This demonization was usually followed by sanctions or worse, bombings. Joseph knew that renewable energy was the literal magic key of salvation for some of the world’s most troubled spots. It was rather quickly after the hike that Solar energy entered Josephs life for good.
Serious about social injustice, Josephs’ candor is often times raw and can be unsettling in its shaking of paradigms racked with cognitive dissonance. Disillusioned with the “strategizing politics” that have led to the series of disastrous defeats for the so-called “progressive” movement, Joseph believes there is little time to contemplate action. The time for action is immediate and it requires direct involvement with peoples affected.
