October 2020 - Parks & Recreation - 41

Applying for a Sun Club Sustainability Grant
While helping nonprofits install rooftop solar has been
the beacon of Sun Club over the past 18 years, the organization also supports other sustainability initiatives,
including clean transportation, education and awareness, energy efficiency, renewable energy, resource conservation and sustainable agriculture.
Sun Club accepts applications (tinyurl.com/
y4m2th33) from nonprofits in Texas and the Northeast
with three years of current tax-exempt status under
Section 501(c)(3), (4), (6) or (19). Recipients are chosen
on a quarterly basis by Sun Club's board of directors
and the donation amounts depend on several factors,
including the environmental, social and financial impact of the donation. Past donations have ranged from
$50,000 to $400,000.
Understanding that partnerships play a critical role in
achieving long-term impact, Green Mountain Energy and
Sun Club have combined the power of crowdsourcing,
partnerships and a shared mission by connecting Green
Mountain customers, its employees and nonprofits. While
anyone can donate to Sun Club, its strongest supporters are
Green Mountain customers and employees.
The world is in a large-scale transition to renewable
energy, and leadership for social change is critical. As
charities and civic organizations add panels to their roofs,
awareness and adoptability of solar energy becomes top
of mind for local businesses and homeowners. We believe

PHOTO COURTESY OF JEREMY MARSHALL

online dashboard (tinyurl.com/yxnl7j82) to monitor
and measure the center's sustainability efforts and to
make this real-time information available to the public. This project was made possible through a partnership with Worldwide Environmental Services (WES)
and MachineQ, a Comcast Company. This customized dashboard, developed with WES' Foreseer Monitoring System (wes.net) and MachineQ's (machineq.
com) sensors using long-range wide-area networking
(LoRaWAN®) technology, provides data on energy
use, carbon offset, solar energy generation, air quality,
ambient light, water collection, resource use and other information about the Frick Environmental Center.
The project is also facilitated via ethernet connections
delivered by Comcast Business.
The dashboard has the potential to serve as a hub for
sustainable resources. It has the capability to reach a
global audience and create learning opportunities for
everyone from school children to industry professionals.

A key feature of the Frick Environmental Center's
net energy proﬁle is solar array panels provided
through a $63,000 grant from Sun Club.

that facilitating the increased adoption of solar by nonprofit organizations could be one of many tipping points
in the greener energy movement. Not only are they promoting alternative energy with their eco-friendly facilities,
but, more importantly, their actions remind all of us about
the importance of preserving the place we call home.
Mark Parsons is Vice President and General Manager of Green
Mountain Energy.

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October 2020 - Parks & Recreation

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