This September in Tuolumne, pride filled a packed room as 13 graduates from the Tuolumne Community Collaborative’s 15th pre-apprenticeship program walked across the stage. The room had never been so full—families, local leaders, unions, and community partners cheered them on, celebrating their hard-earned success.

The air is getting crisper and cooler and it’s safe to say that the holiday season is upon us! With Small Business Saturday on November 29, take some time to browse small businesses in San Francisco and shop local. This is your opportunity to shop small and support businesses served by the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission's (SFPUC) clean energy programs, CleanPowerSF and Hetch Hetchy Power. Here are several businesses that not only contribute to the local economy but also embrace the power of cleaner energy.

Growing up in rural central Illinois, Mia Ingolia didn’t live on a farm, but her backyard felt like one. Her family’s three-acre property was a patchwork of big gardens, flower beds, and a pond bordered by farm fields, forests, and horse pastures. Summers meant planting seeds with her dad, cutting bouquets for the dinner table, and getting sent to the yard by her mom with the instruction: “Go play outside.”

What was once two acres of cracked asphalt behind Everett Middle School is now a lush, multi-use outdoor space that captures stormwater, supports student learning, and offers a model for climate-smart urban design.

Born in Nicaragua, Dorian Dominguez’s early life was filled with both the hope of becoming an Olympic boxer and the harsh reality of political unrest. At just 16, he was faced with a decision no young person should have to make — either stay and be forced into war or leave everything behind in search of a safer life. The transition was tough, he says, “When I left my country, I didn’t come on a plane. My mom gave me $50 and said, ‘Go and find a better life.'"