Cheers to South Bay Rotary Clubs!
Over four weekends in March, some 30 trained volunteers from the Cupertino, Los Altos, Mountain View, Los Gatos Morning, and Sunnyvale Rotary clubs worked to put a 60-panel solar system on the roof of a non-profit center at 748 Mercy Street in Mountain View. The Rotary members, led by the Cupertino Rotary Club’s Climate Action Committee, installed racks and wiring and hauled up and mounted solar panels on three sloping roofs and one large flat roof of the building. The new system will provide 80 percent of the electricity for the entire building.
The 748 Mercy Street property is home to several non-profits, including Hope’s Corner, which serves free warm meals twice a week; Job Train, which holds cooking lessons for aspiring cooks; and Art Changes Us, which offers training and work in the creative arts for youth, and more. The building also houses a cold-weather shelter for women & children.
The new electrical system’s value is $85,000, including volunteer labor contributions. The participating Rotary clubs, the Los Altos United Methodist Church, and a Solar Moonshot Program grant —-managed by Hammond Climate Solutions Foundation with support from the Left Coast Fund —- paid for the solar panels.
Non-profit SunWork designed the project, provided training and oversight to the volunteers, and managed the system installation.
The Rotary clubs participated in the solar panel installation to raise awareness for the new Climate Action focus of Rotary International and to show that their members are committed to solving the environmental issues facing our planet.
South Bay and Peninsula residents can participate in a variety of Earth Month events in April to help combat climate change and fight for the environment. Learn more here.