John is the founder of ElectricSun. He has travelled and worked
in over 100 countries and brings 30 years of writing, public speaking
and management experience to the Solar Energy Community. For 17 years
he was based in Switzerland and Holland and worked around the globe
teaching, speaking, and writing for the Non-Profit
Transcendental Meditation organization. In the 1990’s he returned
to Canada and co-founded several companies in land development, technology,
and manufacturing.
John’s interest in solar energy began in Europe in 1990 when he followed pioneering projects in photovoltaics for India, and electric cars for Mexico. He resides on Salt Spring Island, off the coast of Vancouver.
Victoria-born Grania Litwin took her English degree at the University of Victoria and has worked for 30 years as a reporter, editor and feature writer, most recently at the Times Colonist newspaper, covering everything from police and health to municipal politics. For the past decade she has been a lifestyle writer in the features section and during a recent sabbatical she edited two books.
Grania has worked as public relations director at the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria and was a volunteer at Victoria Hospice for a dozen years, chairing fundraising events, serving on the board, and serving president. She was a charter member of the Victoria Hospice and Palliative Care Foundation. For five years she chaired the Honorary Governors of the Victoria Foundation. In 2000 Grania was named a Woman of Distinction for her years of reporting and communication skills. In 2003 she was given a spirit award by Canwest Global Communications. In the last five years she has served on the boards of Queen Alexandra Foundation and Blue Bridge Repertory Theatre.
Neil brings extensive knowledge of writing, publicity and marketing to the company, with 10 years experience as a journalist and award-winning editor, plus several years as a publicist and marketing analyst. He also holds an MBA and an MA in Professional Writing.
He began his career as a daily newspaper reporter in Eastern Canada, and after a year, took a position as a publications coordinator at a small university in the US Midwest.
During this time, as a freelance writer, he published articles in over a dozen newspapers in Canada and the US, including the Chicago Tribune. As founding editor of a university magazine, he won an award from the National Association of University and College Public Relations Professionals.
After six years of editing a variety of publications and publicity materials, as well as teaching undergraduate writing, Neil moved to the corporate world, and worked four years as a marketing analyst at a financial brokerage firm in Toronto. He now balances his career as a professional writer and editor with a strong interest in yoga and meditation.
Carol has a Master's in English from York University and works as a researcher, writer and editor. She developed her professional writing skills producing materials such as news letters, organisation web pages, translations, academic articles and conference proceedings for York University and the University of British Columbia, The Journal of Religion and Film, The Canada Expedition, Global Peace Initiative and other NGO's and public relations firms.
Carol has worked in the sustainability sector for several years gaining a deep understanding of new and emerging technologies, with an emphasis on renewable energy such as solar.
In addition to her work with Electric Sun, Carol is pursuing a second Master's degree in Philosophy and Environmental Law.
Douglas Gorney has more than fifteen years of writing, editing, public
relations and design experience.
In addition to editing books, Doug has created and edited technical
collateral, marketing copy, business communications, instructional
documentation and promotional material for and print and the Web.
His clients have included consultants and novelists, as well as companies
in the technology, e-commerce, financial services, venture capital, Web development, health care, education, real estate, retail and travel industries.
SELECTED PROJECTS
SourceTrace Systems [Marketing Director] -- Wrote brochures, developed
and wrote all content for corporate site relaunch for remote data
transactions software company.
Human Factors International [Senior Writer] -- Case studies ,
white papers,
Certified User Analyst profiles , articles for technology and Web
usability consulting firm.
Veritas Software [April - July 2001 -- now Symantec] -- Editor for
external Web site re-architecture. Responsible for "Solutions" section
-- creating legible, Web-friendly technical marketing copy, with
tone and voice appropriate for high-level target audience (CEO, CIO).
Mr. Foster has a BA in Literature, with an emphasis on writing, research,
and presentations. His freelance writing has appeared in The Globe
and Mail, The Vancouver Sun, The Times Colonist, LifeTrack News, The
Vancouver Board of Trade, Jaguar Monthly, Canadian Classics and Performance,
ITHealth World, Car Collector, Leader Magazine, Victoria Chamber of
Commerce, and Corvette Fever, among others.
His experience includes:
Writing and editing a monthly newsletter for 26,000
life science professionals in Canada for two years.
Acting as
senior advisor to both Isaix Technologies and Chyma Systems, researching
materials, compiling and editing final copy, and submitting RFPs
to government on behalf of the technology and medical fields.
Seven years of press experience, including typesetting and pre-press,
graphics and layout, editing, and film making.
Professional photography.
His pictures have appeared in glossy magazines across North America,
including the cover of Muscle Car News.
Mr. Gratto has a Master's of Science Degree in Educational Policy
and Management, University of Oregon, and a BA in English, University
of Calgary, Alberta, Canada. He was a college instructor for four years,
teaching business and technical writing and public speaking.
His 20 years of professional writing experience include:
technical user manuals; technical reports;
brochures; trade show materials; business plans; marketing studies;
sales, grant, loan, and investment proposals; surveys; press releases;
research reports; web site copy; and legal documents and agreements.
From his work he has gained a clear understanding of various industries,
including manufacturing, IT, oil and gas, forestry and education.
Launie resides with his family in Victoria, B.C., Canada.
Wayne has worked in corporate communications and investor relations for more than 25 years. This includes writing, research as well as sales and marketing and management training.
In addition to solar energy his experience bridges several different sectors including high-tech, mining, real estate, financial education, small business and personal coaching.
Wayne worked as a writer and researcher for a “Multi Platform Project”, an interactive web site for the new hit television series, Ice Pilots NWT. He provided content for the interactive web site designed to complement the series featured on History Television. He also, “assisted the unit publicist with researching community-outreach target markets”. He collaborates as a researcher/editor on a weekly column for a major financial newspaper.
In addition, Wayne has experience with government organizations, universities, scientific institutions, film & television companies and web-design firms. His training and experience as an ESL teacher (English as a Second Language) and as a university and college instructor greatly assists in working with international clients.
