Before co-founding Southern Energy Management in 2001, Bob and Maria Kingery worked at Burt’s Bees (a local natural personal care company). Over the years, there has been some cross-pollination of team members and ideas between the two companies, which has led to some wonderful things. Like Bob and Maria, I’ve also spent time at Burt’s Bees, and I’d like to share this story about folks from both companies and the community coming together for a common cause to help a group of underprivileged children in Africa.
Several Burt’s Bees employees, a diverse group of community members and I are involved in a group called the Friends of Ingrid School. This team of passionate folks is on a mission to create a permanent learning center for the children living in the slums outside of Nairobi, Kenya. Friends of Ingrid are committed to (more…)
Every day at SEM we’re doing work that helps the planet — whether it’s installing solar panels that offset traditional coal-generated electricity or making buildings more efficient so they don’t have to use as much of that electricity in the first place. Every once in a while, though, we get a chance to do something that falls a little outside the normal routine. 
Energy efficiency and solar power can yield dramatic savings for homeowners — especially when used in conjunction with one another. That’s partly why our partnership with Habitat for Humanity is something we take great pride in — the families living in Habitat houses are usually on tight budgets, so the energy savings end up having a huge impact.
