Virgance: Activism 2.0

Learned about this company through Jaiku. Who knows more about 1BOG?

Virgance: Activism 2.0: "1 Block Off the Grid (1BOG) is a novel model of community purchasing focused on driving widespread adoption of clean energy solutions and sustainable lifestyles using education, logistical support, social networking and group pricing. 1BOG started as a consumer-based initiative in San Francisco and rapidly became the largest group purchasing program for green products in the country.

1BOG addresses the three principal barriers to ‘clean-energy-living’, which we call the Clean Living Trifecta. These are Cost, Complexity and Community. To address Cost, we leverage the group’s bargaining power to negotiate large discounts for our members.

We are able to drive down cost by aggregating large numbers of buyers, and by streamlining the sales process for vendors. Our highly educated, well-qualified members allow the vendors to focus on providing the best solution at the lowest cost. That brings us to the second barrier, Complexity. There are two aspects of Complexity, the technology (what’s available) and the process (how do I get it) – 1BOG addresses both.

For example, on the technology front we sort through all the available information about residential solar energy, process that information and make it available to 1BOG members in an accessible, easy-to-digest format so buyers can easily get the facts and decide if this solution is right for them.

The second aspect of Complexity lies in the process of acquiring the solution. In the case of residential solar, there are a myriad of factors to take into account. Members need to determine how many panels they’ll need, which rebates exist in their area, which ones they are eligible for, how to apply for incentives, etc. 1BOG provides assistance all the way through the process."

Hmmm. Need to read more about 1BOG.