Participatory Philanthropy: Black Rock Solar

April 29, 2008, 4:11 am
Filed under: 100friends, Altruistic Travel, Blogroll, CORPORATE RESPONSIBITY (CR) INITIATIVES, CSR, Conscious Commerce, Corporate Donor Philanthropic Travel Services, Corporate Donor Travel, Corporate Donor Travel Service, Doing Good in Society, EcoTourism, EthnoTourism, Exquisite Safaris, Family Philanthropy, Giving Back, Kerala Declaration on Responsible Tourism, Luxury Travel, Luxury Travel with a Conscience, Peace through Tourism, Philanthropic Travel, Philanthropic Travel Foundation, Philanthropic Vacation, Socially Conscious Philanthropy, Sustainable Travel, The CSR/CR Corporate Philanthropy Challenge, Tourism as a Global Peace Industry, Travel Connoisseur, Travel Matters, Travel Philanthropy, Travelers Philanthropy, Voluntourism, World Peace Travel, adventure philanthropy, altruistic traveler, authentic travel, barack obama, business philanthropy, changemakers, conscientious travel, contra costa times, corporate giving, do good travel, eco travel, geotourism, giveback getaways, givebackgetaways, giving back travel, global warming, good corporate citizens, good intentions, goodwill travel, grassroots philanthropy, kenya safari, make a difference, marc gold, mission travel, multigenerational travel, new philanthropists, non profic connections, participatory philanthropy, payitgreen, philanthrocapitalism, philanthropic adventures, philanthropic advisory services, philanthropic intent, philanthropic minded vacation, philanthropic tourism, philanthropic travellers, philanthropic trip, philanthropy, purpose-drive travel, resource for caring travelers, spiritual tourism, strategic community involvement, tactical philanthropy, travel agent, travel for learning, travel right do good, travelers philanthropy best practice, travelersphilanthropyconference, volunteer vacation, volunteerism, why travel matters, world cafe climate change

Black Rock Solar’s story is that of “The Wisdom of Stone Soup“, realizing the full potential of ‘collaboration creates prosperity.‘

Black Rock Solar is a non-profit project of the Burning Man community, focused on addressing climate change and speeding the adoption curve of renewable energy. By installing renewable energy at low or no cost, Black Rock Solar puts much needed funds in the hands of communities typically not served by the renewable energy industry -who then get to decide how to best meet their own needs. Along the way, Black Rock Solar creates educational opportunities for philanthropic travelers and beneficiaries, and sponsor training to broaden the solar power industry.

Building solar power creates energy independence and helps to reverse the adverse effects of global climate change. More importantly, the money saved by using solar power stays in the school and community directly benefiting the people who need it most. For example, Black Rock Solar’s Gerlach project, finished in December 2008 provides 90kW of solar energy for the Gerlach Elementary School which will put another $20,000 per year directly into that schools budget -every year for the next 20 or 30 years!

Black Rock Solar are hard at work on their latest installation -a 60KW array for the Natchez School in Wadsworth, NV. Take a look at the location from space right here. The 60 kilowatt solar power system is expected to generate 108,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity per year, resulting in savings of approximately $360,000 over the next 25 years. Natchez Elementary School and the Washoe County School District will share the savings, with half directly supporting the school’s budget and the other half sponsoring a special fund to support conservation efforts throughout the district.

“This new system will help us give our students a very real lesson in the benefits of solar energy,” said Natchez Elementary School Principal Rick Taylor. “All in all, the solar array will benefit the environment, give our classrooms a reliable source of electricity, and help us direct precious dollars toward education rather than energy bills.“

“If we are going to seriously address climate change, we need to make renewable energy available to all, a mission that Black Rock Solar aims to achieve by dramatically lowering the cost of solar for communities that otherwise would not have access to these clean technologies,” said Price. “With this solar energy system at Natchez Elementary -the second project of its kind for Black Rock Solar and our partners -we are no longer just asking the question, ‘what if solar was free?’ We’re busy answering it.”

In recognition of Black Rock Solar’s work to bring low and no cost solar power to rural schools and hospitals across Nevada, Black Rock Solar Executive Director Tom Price was honored recently as one of People Magazine’s “Environmental Heroes” for 2008.

Exquisite Safaris Philanthropic Travel actively supports Black Rock Solar’s efforts to create a 60KW solar array at Natchez Elementary School on the Pyramid Lake Native American Paiute Tribe Reservation in Wadsworth, Nevada.