Free the Sun: Black Rock Solar energizes the University of Nevada Reno
Exquisite Safaris Philanthropic Travel non-profit partner Black Rock Solar has created a 30kW Solar Array on the roof of the Joe Crowley Student Union at the University of Nevada Reno. Exquisite Safaris Philanthropic Travel donates $25 per traveler to support Black Rock Solar projects throughout Nevada.
Why has Exquisite Safaris Philanthropic Travel partnered with Black Rock Solar? Black Rock Solar is a non-profit with a simple goal: take on climate change, and speed the adoption curve of renewable energy by building low or no cost solar power in unlikely places.
We believe if we're going to solve the climate crisis, everyone has to be part of the solution, which is why they are installing renewable energy at schools, hospitals, and other public buildings in places that would otherwise never be able to afford it.
CLICK HERE FOR HIGH RESOLUTION SLIDESHOW
Black Rock Solar allows the schools and medical clinics keep all the money they save to support their communities as they see fit.
Why Black Rock Solar vs. buying carbon offsets? Carbon offsets may become an important contribution to the fight against global climate change. However, the carbon offset marketplace is still developing -slowed down by a lack of transparent standards.
"It's hard to understand how donating $20 to a carbon offset firm using their 'proprietary calculator,' can make it OK to drive/fly from A to B, and define it as "carbon neutral."Black Rock Solar has a different approach: they build solar power -lots of it, and they do it for less than anyone else, which allows them to build even more! When Exquisite Safaris Philanthropic Travel donates cash to Black Rock Solar we know exactly where our money is going -and we can walk up to the panel we helped fund and install.
"In concrete terms, Black Rock Solar has an unbeatable return on investment, turning every $1 donated into $15 of clean green solar value."Here's how: It costs BRS around $6 to build a watt of solar power, and they can get $5 of that in rebates from the public utility in Nevada. Then they match that with $3 in donated labor value, and it turns into $6 in free green energy over the life of the system.
"Every Exquisite Safaris Philanthropic Travel $1 leverages $5 in rebates, and $3 in donated labor, to create $6 in free energy; 1+5+3+6= $15! Try finding that kind of ROI on Wall Street these days!"Who are the people Black Rock Solar and Exquisite Safaris help? Like ES, BRS works almost exclusively in rural areas that tend to be economically disadvantaged -and certainly off the map when it comes to high dollar renewable energy projects -but that's exactly why we need to be there.
For decades, the only people that have had renewable energy have been either large institutions with deep pockets, or the wealthy. But as Al Gore stated July 17, 2008 we need every single part of our society engaged in the fight against climate change. By changing the face of renewable energy, we'll make it accessible to hundreds of communities that would otherwise never consider it. After all, if Gerlach, Nevada can go green, anyone can!
Is it working?
To answer that, just check with any of the communities BRS has helped so far. To date, the solar power they have built will generate over $1,000,000 in savings for those communities over the next 25 years -money that sustains communities in ways those communities decide they need it most.
It's that kind of impact that made People Magazine choose Black Rock Solar as one of three "Environmental Heroes" for 2008 -and they are just getting started.
Donate to Black Rock Solar!
Exquisite Safaris Philanthropic Travel announces Americans helping Americans Philanthropic Travel (probono): Leaving the Mines Behind Empowering Appalachia: May 31 to June 7, 2009
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TheGlassHammer.com Philanthropic Travelers
"Making a change, making the world a better place, it's not only your responsibility, it is your choice. It is your blessing. It is your gift. It's your opportunity to make your life mean something -so take it,". says Ghana-born musician and activist, Derrick Ashong.
Yes, you say, but how? You've got over 300 messages in your email box and five in your voicemail. Your day of back-to-back meetings starts in 10 minutes, your performance goals are due by 5:00, and you want a promotion.
Yet somewhere deep in your heart there's something beyond your career and family that you care about -the children who die each day from lack of food, the acres of rain forest being burned every minute, homelessness, wars, or maybe it's as close as that litter of stray kittens you saw behind McDonald's.You can write a check. There's no shortage of needs and causes. Do you support them all? If not, which do you pick? When you give, you're saying something about yourself. "Giving is a very private action that reflects your values," says Claire Costello, National Practice Executive of philanthropic management for Bank of America.
One of the best ways to discern your inner values is to take yourself out into the world. 'Encountering other people's environments and other people's circumstances connects you to that private place of your own.Not only does travel connect you viscerally, you see with your own eyes where your money is going. A study published in the Winter 2008 Stanford Social Innovation Review discovered that donors' money isn't going where they think it is.
It lets you know in a very visceral way what really matters to you," she says. "Even if your travel takes you to a faraway place and your giving is focused near home, it will still make you a better giver and a more insightful human being."
While 47% of the 10,000 households surveyed thought they were donating to help the needy, only 6% of their giving actually did so. Most of it (60%) went to religious causes, and only 2% of the religious organizations had a nonreligious mission. The message? Ask questions. Make a real connection to the causes you're funding.
Make It Happen
You could take a volunteer vacation, but many people are deterred by the primitive living conditions and physical labor.
There is also Philanthropic Travel. It's for people with more money than time, so it's more posh - you stay in luxury hotels and dine well.
To plan a philanthropic vacation, first prioritize your values. What resonates most for you? 'Think of it as a learning journey,' says Costello. "Ask yourself, 'What is it I want to learn about and how can I best do that?' It's hard to live out a hundred values every day, so pick the ones that resonate with you and then act on them."Make your learning journey Real.
Exquisite Safaris Philanthropic Travel is the first travel service dedicated to Philanthropic Travel.
"What we're really offering is personal transformation, a way to connect to the world," says founder David Chamberlain.He'll connect you with local people doing good things (and Exquisite Safaris Philanthropic Travel donates $250 per traveler to the project you visit).
The Nathans spent a week at Friends of Ngong Road's day camp in Nairobi and called it the highlight of their trip. 'It was the best camp I've ever been to," raved their 8-year-old.by Paige Churchman TheGlassHammer.com
"The most ironic thing about this (Philanthropic Travel) experience," she says, "Is that you end up learning and getting more than you ever could give."
Friends of Ngong Road was founded by Paula Meyer, one-time president of the mutual fund business for American Express (now Ameriprise Financial).
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Exquisite Safaris Philanthropic Travel announces Americans helping Americans Philanthropic Travel (probono): Leaving the Mines Behind Empowering Appalachia: May 31 to June 7, 2009
Learn More:
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Straight Talk: Clean Coal & MTR
One minute trailer for the award winning documentary film Mountain Top Removal hawriverfilms.com
"Black Diamonds: Mountaintop Removal & The Fight for Coalfield Justice" is an award-winning documentary exploring coal surface mining, mountaintop removal and radical community resistance in West Virginia: blackdiamondsmovie.com
Mining companies are destroying entire mountains in order to get at the coal inside them. Quickly and efficiently, the oldest mountain range in the world is being systematically obliterated. We sent Meredith and VBS correspondent Derrick Beckles to the hills and hollers of West Virginia to show us what the end of the world looks like.
Exquisite Safaris Philanthropic Travel announces Americans helping Americans Philanthropic Travel (probono): Leaving the Mines Behind Empowering Appalachia: May 31 to June 7, 2009
Introductory video for the National Memorial for the Mountains, an online memorial in Google Earth that tells the story of 450 mountains destroyed by mountaintop removal.
Exquisite Safaris Philanthropic Travel announces Americans helping Americans Philanthropic Travel (probono): Leaving the Mines Behind Empowering Appalachia: May 31 to June 7, 2009
A little clip about Big Coal set to "Living In Kentucky" performed by Dave Parker.
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Exquisite Safaris Philanthropic Travel announces Americans helping Americans Philanthropic Travel (probono): Leaving the Mines Behind Empowering Appalachia: May 31 to June 7, 2009
Learn More:
Appalshop
Appalachia Media Institute
South Wings
Paul Corbit Brown
The Buckminster Fuller Challenge
The Myth of Clean Coal and Reality of Mountain Top Removal
Journey to 100% Zero-Carbon Electricity in 10 Years
Exquisite Safaris partners with Black Rock Solar
Native American Elementary School gets Free Solar Installation
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Exquisite Safaris clients say...
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Business and Economy Magazine India: Philanthropic Travelers
Who says charity begins at home? More and more people are tripping on Philanthropic Travel!
When asked if one had all the time and money, what would one do; most would say, 'travel.'
And why not? It's exciting to laze by the beach, trek in the hills, anticipate the movements of an animal in the wild and drown oneself in the bustle of a big city. But how many travellers delve into the soul of the destination, by really understanding its culture and people? Not many.
However, there are a growing number of people travelling to the lesser-privileged parts of the world, attempting to blend in with the natives and lend a helping hand wherever possible.
Exquisite Safaris Philanthropic Travel has pioneered the philanthropic travel concept which is gaining gaining popularity globally.
Marc Gold is a philanthropic traveller, and in 1989 he had visited Darjeeling for a vacation. Here, he met a girl who was suffering from a life-threatening disease. The girl's folks were incapable of affording the treatment and so Marc donated funds for her medication and treatment. This kind gesture of Marc's saved a life and brought back happiness to a family that had almost lost hope. Marc now visits various places with the objective of not just absorbing their beauty and interacting with the people, but with the intention of reaching out to those in need.
In India it would still take time for a concept like philanthropic travel to emerge. Says Mr. Krishna Pujar, "The idea of philanthropic travel is not even known to people in India. Having an abundance of wild life and being known for its culture and heritage, eco-tourism and eco-cultural tourism are fairly popular though."
He also added, "India, in a way, benefits from such kinds of tours that foreigners make to our country. Such a concept exists in places like US and maybe Europe, because those people have an inclination to learn about people of different countries." But is that the only reason why India is in the list of such destinations?
Does India's poverty-struck population and economic condition also play a role? "I have seen numerous people from different countries come to India, not for the purpose of visiting but to extend help. They either do so by charity or by lending their services by getting involved with hospitals, health-care centres and NGOs dedicated to the well-being of women and children. This is indeed good social service as a lot of funds in the form of donations are collected," explained Mr. Pujari.
At present, India remains an attractive destination for philanthropic travellers. Will Indians be guests in other countries and get involved in philanthropic travelling? "Not immediately, but it has a strong scope for gaining momentum in India too..."
Make an appointment with an expert.
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Donations: Personal Reality (Philanthropic Travel) delivers bigger Donations
I'm Not Rockefeller: 33 High Net Worth Philanthropists Discuss Their Approach to Giving -Kathleen Noonan & Katherina Rosquta
High Net Worth participants indicated that their criteria for philanthropic giving were deeply informed by their social capital.
The criteria they most frequently cited -apart from an interest in or passion for a subject -were personal involvement with an organization (or the involvement of someone known to them) and the ability to influence a tangible program or project related to a passion or interest.
These factors were especially important at the time of an initial gift.Others were comfortable giving a larger amount if someone they knew well was personally involved in an organization.
Some HNWPs told us that their involvement in an organization was an absolute precondition to donating what they considered larger gifts.
Few HNWP participants made a practice of giving large gifts in situations where they had simply heard of and/or read about an organization.~~
The University of Pennsylvania Center for High Impact Philanthropy (CHIP) is a resource center designed to guide philanthropists and their advisors as they decide where to allocate their philanthropic dollars. Their goal is to provide information and tools to help philanthropists determine where their gifts would have the greatest potential to improve the lives of others. CHIP staff gathers information from multiple sources and thinks systematically about what it suggests, how it fits together, and how best to use it. CHIP then translates their findings into clear and practical decision-making tools.
The Center identifies promising programs to support using a multi-perspective, evidence based approach that synthesizes three types of information: field experience (project evaluations, case studies, and policy analysis), rigorous scientific research (randomized control trials and studies with good comparison groups), and informed opinion (expert analysis, stakeholder input).
They also identify practical ways to think through philanthropic decisions, measure social impact, and create new models for achieving impact. Our objective is to address not only the information gap in the world of philanthropy, but also the continuing uncertainty about the best ways to measure and compare effectiveness and the lack of analytic and decision frameworks to support philanthropists focused on achieving high impact.
The Center for High Impact Philanthropy is a neutral broker of information for individual philanthropists, foundations, advisors, and others interested in achieving the highest social impact possible with their philanthropic dollars.
Learn More:
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