CORENA’s “One Dollar Challenge”
One of Tansition Gawlers recent projects has been to connect CORENA (Citizens Own Renewable Energy Network Australia) who were looking for small scale projects (they have already completed one), the Gawler Community House, who wanted to install solar power to reduce their costs, but didn’t have the funds to be able to do so on their own, and a local (small scale) company, Down to Earth Sustainable Solutions, who are doing energy audits and designing the Solar PV system they require. The result is that it was picked as CORENA’s second “quick win” project!!!!!!
Now its just a matter of waiting for the funds to build up so they can go ahead.
The concept of this is that CORENA (Citizens Own Renewable Energy Network Australia) are currently crowd funding (looking for donations) to enable these projects to go ahead – they don’t rely on government handouts or grants.
Once enough money is raised and the project goes ahead, the organisation (in this case the Gawler Community House) then pays back the money in the form of an interest free loan from the savings they are making on their energy bills.
That money which is paid back then is re-invested into the next project, allowing another community organisation to install solar power and/or energy efficiency measures, and so the cycles goes, eventually becoming self sustaining.
Already the first project (7kW Solar power installed at Tulgeen Disability Services, in Bega NSW) has started to pay back money ($1000) which will go towards this next project in Gawler, and the money the Gawler community house then repays will go to fund the next project and so on, eventually becoming self sustaining.
An anonymous donor has promised to donate $2000 if 2000 people donate $1 each, currently the count is at 225 people (as of 29/3/14) so there is still a way to go yet.
If you can donate (even just $1) please do, and also feel free to help spread the word.
Remember that “If we wait for the governments, it’ll be too little, too late, if we act as individuals, it’ll be too little, but if we act as communities, it might just be enough, just in time”, so lets act as a community and get the word out there and make these projects happen!!!!
See http://corenafund.org.au/one-dollar-challenge/ for info on how to donate.
Transition Gawler 