Westlake/District Solar Meeting Organized

This past week a very important meeting was arranged between the principal of Westlake, the Director of Planning & Facilities, his maintenance staff, and the CEO of Solar Electrical Systems Greg Johanson. We discussed the specifics of cost, roofing requirements, inspection, and approval through the State Architect. Essentially, once SSS raises the necessary $11,000 we will see solar panels on the roof shortly after. The main problem we found was that most of the incentives for solar (that bring the cost down almost by a factor of 4) are tax-incentives. Since Westlake High School is a non-profit by default, it does not gain any monetary benefit from such tax incentives. One thing we are currently looking into is a third-party generating agreement or mini-PPA where a for-profit entity, such as an LLC, local business or individual would lease the system to the school for free and agree to give back the tax incentives over 5 years. Stay tuned for more!

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Puerto Rico School Joins SSS Movement

This week, I am happy to annouce that David Soto from the Dorado Academy in Dorado, Puerto Rico has officially started his campaign for solar panels at his school and possibly a few other local private schools. He has already met with his local solar company and will be meeting with the Mayor and School Board in the future. Please view Schools, and then Dorado Academy to learn more about the progress of this chapter. Stay tuned for more updates. Remember to visit the Download page for pitches, templates, and presentations you can use at your school.

Westlake Fundraiser Finished!

Today we finished off the Westlake High School fundraiser. By placing jars in about 20 classrooms and running a school-wide publicity campaign we raised $520. Most of the coins have not been counted so we don’t have an exact amount. But keep posted for the running total soon. The fundraiser is a small portion of the total goal, but it represents an important step in the process.

Sustainable Oregon Schools Initiative

Students for Solar Schools has been featured on the SOSI Blog. The Sustainable Oregon Schools Initiative is a project of the Zero Waste Alliance, a program of the International Sustainable Development Foundation. You can view the article here http://sustainableoregonschools.blogspot.com

Westlake Fundraiser Started!

Today, the jars were distributed and the first coins and bills jingled into the recyclable coffers. Although any school fundraiser is not expected to provide nearly the amount necessary, it gets the ball rolling for more ambitious fundraising operations. Michelle Carney did an amazing job in making sure everything fell into place and all the bureaucracy was handled. She is willing to be available as an invaluable resource for other schools across the country to talk to for advice on how to start their own school fundraisers.