Green Dreams

When we first met Brandon McKelvey two years ago, his food truck was still in construction. "I'm going to put solar panels on this puppy someday," he told us. Since then, Say.She.Ate, with their duck-fat sweet potato fries and Akaushi beef sliders, has gained fame as one of the very top food trucks in town. That rep made McKelvey's dream possible. In February, panels installed by Freedom Solar Power, funded with a grant from sustainability advocate Awesome Foundation, were finally secured to the top of the familiar white food truck. While the panels won't power the truck entirely, they will cut down on generator use, which will lead not only to fewer emissions, but a quieter run for crew and customers.

One of the biggest draws for solar use locally are rebates offered by city-owned CPS Energy through its Solar Initiative Rebate Program. Long-time solar power facilitator Solar San Antonio helps direct residents and businesses to take advantage of this and other sources to make SA green. When you try your next pair of sliders from Say.She.Ate, meditate on this: the solar panels providing a quiet lunch were made possible through an intricate partnership between a green-minded city, a forward-thinking business, a couple of nonprofits, and a guy with a dream. — Scott Andrews

Freedomsolarpower.com, solarsanantonio.org
facebook.com/saysheatetx