Darcy Gray, CEO of project sponsor TOM BIHN Inc, interviews project developers Raphaela Hsu-Flanders of Bonneville Environmental Foundation and Marissa Johnson of Twende Solar to learn about their organizations and goals for the Quinault Indian Nation project.
BEF
Darcy: Let’s just start off by saying: BEF rocks! Can you tell us more about what BEF does?
Raphaela: BEF is a 501(c)3 nonprofit focused on environmental solutions at the intersection of renewable energy and clean water. Based in Portland, Oregon, our work is rooted in strong partnerships and collaboration with other nonprofits, tribes, communities, businesses, utilities, school districts, and government entities. We seek to understand the needs of the communities and partners we work with and develop innovative energy solutions that deliver measurable economic benefits to those most impacted by economic inequity and environmental harms. We bring together partners across all sectors of society to create innovative solutions to address climate challenges, sustain healthy freshwater ecosystems, and catalyze a renewable energy future for all.
Darcy: If there’s other businesses like ours reading this who are daunted by the idea of becoming operationally carbon neutral — what would you say to them?
Raphaela: Long-term organizational change doesn't happen overnight, and we are here to help businesses take steps, however small at first, towards their goals of becoming operationally carbon neutral through the environmental commodities we offer (carbon offsets, renewable energy certificates, water restoration certificates, and free Greenhouse Gas Accounting for Business 101, for companies interested in taking their first step). We work with our business partners to develop customized solutions that work best for them to decrease their footprint.
Darcy: The Quinault Nation Solar Project is a joint effort between the Quinault Nation, Twende Solar, and BEF — can you share more with us about this project and its goals?
Raphaela: The goal of this project was to support the Quinault Indian Nation's climate and energy resilience goals, and to bring together a unique set of partners to help develop the first solar project on the reservation. With a volunteer team of local solar contractors, we installed a 23.7 kW system on the Queets Community Center - a community hub and gathering place during power outages. Additionally, we wanted to provide workforce development and job training opportunities for Quinault community members interested in pursuing careers in renewable energy. We hope to continue working with the Quinault Indian Nation to develop additional renewable energy projects as they carry out their village relocation plan to adapt to climate challenges.
TWENDE SOLAR
Darcy: You traveled the world with your Aeronaut before we even met or worked together on this project — can you share that story with us again?
Marissa: I stumbled across a video of the Aeronaut 45 on social media several years ago after living abroad in Colombia for a while and was already looking forward to my next adventure. It's a struggle to travel light and be prepared, but the Aeronaut seemed to be the perfect balance of having enough space for what I needed and keeping me organized in the process. It is so easy to move about with it in airports, on flights, and in crowds. Also, it's darn durable so I never have to worry about the wear and tear of travel and that sustainability is important to me.
By the time I was ready to buy it, the color I wanted was out of stock. I emailed TOM BIHN and one of your staff replied and told me it was currently in production and she would send me an email the moment it was back online. She made good on her word and the Aeronaut and I have been traveling together ever since including cross country travels, camping adventures and around the globe! It even went with me for this project in Washington as well as on our last international project in Haiti. I also have to mention that your customer service impressed me and the bag has far exceeded my expectations.
Needless to say, I was excited when BEF mentioned that TOM BIHN Inc. was interested in sponsoring this project after such a wonderful experience with the brand.
Darcy: We’d love to hear more about Twende — what inspires your work? Why solar?
Marissa: Twende Solar was started by several students that were studying renewable energy engineering here in Oregon. They had a chance to participate in a humanitarian solar install in Tanzania during their studies, and it inspired them to focus their careers on solar. They saw that communities that had never had landlines (or power lines) had skipped straight to cell phones. They saw the parallels with solar and the implications on electrifying the two BILLION people globally at that time that did not have access. A focused investment right where it is needed puts electricity within reach for everybody without the need of waiting for government or private industry to invest in expensive infrastructure and without extracting and burning fossil fuels to electrify the rest of the globes. We are all in big trouble if these communities all get energy access through the burning of fossil fuels like much of the industrialized world did/does.
There are so many nonprofits doing great work to collaborate with communities to reach their development goals: quality education, modern healthcare, economic development opportunities. Access to abundant and reliable energy is at the core of all of these essential aspects of sustainable development and the alleviation of poverty. That's why we chose to work on solar— it solves several problems at once. With staff, volunteers, and a board that collectively has many decades of industry experience, we can customize solutions to fit the goals and budgets of the community and advise on how to have the biggest and longest-lasting impact with the smartest investment. Our name, Twende, is a Swahili word meaning "let's go!" and it is a way to honor that first experience in Tanzania and captures the essence of how we approach our work.
Darcy: The opportunity to help sponsor your work on the Quinault Project was an immediate yes for us — as a Certified B Corporation, we know that good jobs go hand-in-hand with clean energy and environmental progress. Can you share more with us about Twende’s goals for this project?
Marissa: While there are a lot of goals that are similar no matter what project we are working on like access to renewable energy, bill savings, and resilience through battery backup, unique to this project was a desire to build bridges for career pathways for members of the community. To do this, we were extra selective about recruiting our install team and reached out to solar contractors in the NW part of Washington to invite technicians and electricians from their companies to lead the install. Most of our remaining volunteers were from the Queets community and they got to learn from the pros at South Sound Solar, A&R Solar, Elemental Energy and True South Solar as they worked side-by side on the install.
Additionally, we collaborated with several nonprofits to facilitate formal technical solar training for the Quinault participants. The Quinault Indian Nation has several solar projects in development as part of their energy independence and village relocation plans and it would be wonderful if members of the community could staff those installations. Every Twende Solar project is an opportunity to teach more people about harnessing the limitless power of the sun and often we include some hands-on experimentation with simple solar circuits. Through our partnership on this project with BEF, we invited their organization, CE - Clean Energy. Bright Futures., to participate on the install and to collaborate with local educators for renewable energy curriculum development.
For us, it is never just about this solar install, it is always about what the technology enables for our project partners and the next solar projects that this one inspires.
