Billy Parish

Billy Parish (born 1981) is an American environmental entrepreneur, author, and activist. He is the co-founder and CEO of Mosaic Inc., one of the largest residential solar lenders in the U.S.

In 2003, he dropped out of Yale University to help found the Energy Action Coalition, which has since become the largest youth advocacy organization in the world working on climate change issues.^[1] Billy and the coalition have brought together 50 diverse organizations, raised nearly $10 million in four years, helped get over 600 colleges to commit to climate neutrality, trained and empowered tens of thousands of young people, and built a base of 340,000 young voters who elevated climate issues in the 2008 elections. In March, the Energy Action Coalition organized Power Shift '09, which brought over 12,000 young people to Washington D.C. for the largest climate-focused training, lobby day and non-violent civil disobedience action in U.S. history. 1Sky states Parish is on the Board of Directors.^[2]

Billy grew up in New York City. He spent a semester of high school at The Mountain School in Vermont, where he was turned on to working for the environment.^[3] In July 2005 he led a three-day fast in front of the White House to draw attention to the 150,000 deaths caused each year by climate change.^[4]

Parish is the CEO of the Oakland, California based crowd funding solar power investment company Mosaic Inc..

Awards and honors

Parish's awards and honors include:

• 2014 - Fast Company's "20th Most Creative People in Business"
• 2012 - Middlebury College CSE Vision Award^[5]
• 2009 - Prime Movers fellow.
• 2008 - Utne Reader's "50 Visionaries Who Are Changing Your World"
• 2007 - Ashoka Fellow
• 2007 - Salon.com's "Sexiest Men Living"
• 2006 - Mother Jones "Student Activist of the Year"
• 2005 - Rolling Stone Magazine "Climate Hero"
• 2004 - Brower Youth Award^[6]

References