Creamos goes solar!
In partnership with our new friends at the Honnold Foundation, Creamos is thrilled to announce that we’re going solar! The Honnold Foundation, founded by professional rock climber Alex Honnold in 2012, “ envisions a world where marginalized communities lead the transition to renewable energy, with the resources they need to adapt and thrive”. As an organization, they believe in solar as a” proven, environmentally sound solution to global energy poverty” and award grants to “community organizations whose projects are innovative, equity-focused, and have the potential to shift the narrative on what’s possible for energy access worldwide”.
As a proud grantee of the Honnold Foundation, Creamos utilized our funding to install a grid-tied photovoltaic solar system with a battery backup system here at our headquarters, in the heart of the garbage dump community. This system, which consists of forty 540w JA Solar panels connected to the local electricity grid via APSystems solar inverters, will:
Reduce our projected $7,000/year electricity expenses by 90%;
Save Creamos over $135,000 during the 25 year useful life of the solar panels;
Reduce our carbon footprint by over 670CO2e (equivalent to taking 147 cars off the road for a year).
Solar power is an economically exclusive source of energy in Guatemala, as hardware and installation costs are prohibitive and common financial incentives that are prevalent across the developed world are absent here. Yet despite its inaccessibility, solar energy has the ability to significantly improve dramatic disparities in the supply of electricity between over- and under-resourced areas of the country. The neighborhoods surrounding the garbage dump. For example, experiences pervasive blackouts and power surges that limit access to safe and reliable work and education. This solar system will enable Creamos staff and seamstresses to avoid costly work shutdown during the frequent local power blackouts.
The largest garbage dump in Central America may seem like an ironic place to implement environmental conservation, but this community is heavily impacted by environmental toxicity. Most make their living sifting through waste, decreasing the amount of plastic that ends up in our ecosystem - yet few recognize the vital importance of their work. This project has allowed us to reinforce our organizational allyship with environmental justice initiatives as Creamos creates opportunities for social and economic equity.
This solar system is vital not only for the implementation of high-quality programming that this community deserves, but also as a demonstration of growth, sustainability and healthier futures. As an organization, we are honored and humbled to partner with the Honnold Foundation to take this important step towards environmental justice for some of our planet's most marginalized people.