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HURRICANE SANDY RELIEF
In light of Hurricane Sandy, Sun Giant is committed to helping our fellow New Yorkers. For tens of thousands of New Yorkers, it may take MONTHS until power is restored.
Please join Sun Giant in donating solar lanterns to families in need of light. Your contribution of $20 dollars will give a Sun King solar lantern to a family in Red Hook, Coney Island, the Rockaways, or Staten Island. This gift is more than just a source of light. It sends a message of hope and support that helps those affected to bounce back and build resilience.
Here is a video of some of the work we've been doing on the Rockaways.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gzTodpdMD7g
In the right margin, you will find two new perks geared specifically towards on-ground Sandy relief.
Check out how the Sun King gave light to an NYU residence hall during the storm.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1ENyu_MNgw
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The Project
Sun Giant Energy is a social enterprise that will operate in Liberia to bring safe, affordable, and reliable solar energy solutions to the region. With less than 1% of Liberians having access to grid electricity, the vast majority rely on dirty, gas-fueled generators and kerosene lamps. Aside from being a serious hazard to both personal and environmental health, the generators and lamps are inefficient and incredibly expensive -- Liberians spend up to 80% of their income on energy! Can you imagine spending up to 8 out of every 10 dollars you earn to power your lights and charge your electronics?
By distributing and maintaining the highest quality solar lanterns and plug-and-play off grid solar systems, we aim to eliminate the need for gasoline and kerosene in households, businesses, schools, and health facilities across Liberia. Sun Giant Energy will provide financing packages that will save our customers money from day one and allow them to buy and own their system over the course of one to two years. Once the system is paid for, the energy it produces is free for the lifetime of the product.
Harnessing the power of the sun, we are working with Liberians to create increased financial freedom and energy independence. Our mission is based on the simple but powerful idea that access to reliable, clean energy sources is the steppingstone needed for Liberia to succeed in creating innovative, community-driven development. We’re ready to hit the ground running with a full scale pilot program in January, but we cannot do it without you.
Why Solar?
Every day, enough solar energy hits the earth to power all of humanity for an entire year. What if we could take that energy and use it to power positive change in the world? (We can.) Put simply, solar photovoltaics use sunlight to make electrical current. This technology is safe, reliable, and can power anything from a single lightbulb to an entire building. In Liberia, harvesting one’s own solar fueled electricity means a brighter future for: students who can read and do homework into the night, business owners who can stay open longer, healthcare practitioners who can reliably store vaccines, the millions of people who suffer from respitory diseases caused by indoor air pollution from fossil fuels, and countless others.
Who are “we”?
Glad you asked! The Sun Giant team is made up of a mix of NYU students and alumni that met through a course in Social Entrepreneurship, where the idea for our company was conceived. With diverse backgrounds and experiences, Randy Ray, Steven Rasovsky, Anastasia Moryakova, Heidi Sloane, Shani Penn, Paxton Farrar, Nathaniel DiRenzo and Pierre Durand bring to the table the complementary skill sets needed to make Sun Giant grow strong. We’re backed up by an advisory panel of solar, legal, and entrepreneurship experts who have been guiding and mentoring us along the way. We’ve also grown extensive networks in the international solar industry and on the ground in Liberia.
Why you? (Yes, YOU!)
We envision a Liberia that will be celebrated for its restored vibrant culture, growing economy and for its access to clean energy, education and healthcare for all citizens. But we need YOUR help to get started. You, right here, right now, have the opportunity to be a part of large-scale systemic change. By backing our pilot, you are igniting the critical step of testing our model and our hypotheses on the ground in Liberia. This will enable us to tweak and adapt our approach to best serve the specific needs of millions of Liberians. Your impact starts now as we prepare for the full scale pilot program this January where we will deliver solar power to a school and a home in Liberia’s capital Monrovia, and to 100 individuals in surrounding villages!
Oh, you also get the sweet rewards listed on the side. And our eternal thanks.
Okay, you’re into it... but where exactly is your money going? What does Sun Giant need?
100% of the money we raise from this campaign will go to buying as much solar equipment as we can, to shipping, logistical, installation and maintenance costs, to covering the costs of our awesome backer perks, and to partially subsidizing getting our team to Liberia. Any additional funding we receive beyond our funding goal will go only to buying more solar equipment and increasing our impact on the ground.
Love what Sun Giant is doing, but can’t offer any funding?
As students and former students ourselves, we understand that sometimes funding just is not an option.You can help us out in other ways: Roar with the Giant and MAKE SOME NOISE. Help us spread the word. Share our campaign on facebook, twitter, email, tumblr, blogs, reddit, any other social media, with a good old fashioned phone call, and in real life conversations!
THANK YOU!
Thanks for reading through, all the way to the bottom, and thanks for your support! If you’d like to learn more about us we encourage you to visit our site and to contact us.
