2023 Evergreen Options Grant Finalists
Meet the organizations hoping for your vote
Two organizations have been selected as finalists for this year’s Evergreen Options $50,000 grant. Your vote will determine the winner of a $50,000 renewable energy grant.
Here’s what they want you to know about their organization and proposed renewable energy project:
- Shalom Project
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“Let there be light.” These sacred words fittingly describe the ongoing collaborative effort of St. Mark’s Lutheran Church and Peace Lutheran Church to provide affordable housing, reduce energy consumption, and support environmental justice by harnessing the power of the sun. The Shalom Project brings together two very different congregations. Peace Lutheran is a racially diverse congregation in Tacoma’s Hilltop and St. Mark’s is a majority white congregation in West Tacoma. Working together, the two congregations are sending a clear message that green energy works for everyone by installing solar panels on low-income housing in the Hilltop (one complete), and at St. Mark’s. This project even includes the installation of a community EV charging station at St. Mark’s. The strong connection and involvement in two different parts of Tacoma will demonstrate the benefits of solar power to neighbors via example, education and outreach. Our request is for $50,000 to be added to funds raised from our members. Every effort will be made to secure the remaining funds to complete the project. In every sense, The Shalom Project is an innovative collaboration that clearly illuminates how solar energy can change communities for the better.
- Franklin Pierce School District
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Franklin Pierce School District’s student population is very diverse with over 50 languages spoken in our schools. This area of the county is characterized by high levels of poverty with over 75% of our students qualifying for free/reduced lunches. The district operates a 10-acre farm as part of its educational program. This unique and engaging setting provides a place where students of all ages and members of the local community can learn about how to provide a source of food for a heathier diet and be introduced to sustainable strategies that increase the quality of the food produced while reducing the impacts to the environment. The Evergreen Options Grant provides a wonderful opportunity to add 16 kW of clean solar power to the new Agricultural Resource Center that is currently under construction at the farm. This solar array will provide a tangible example of the use of practical sustainable measures that can be applied in operating a small farm that is characteristic of many farms in this area.
Cast your vote for the winner of the 2023 grant!
Voting is open September 7 through 17, 2023
VOTE NOW