Help Save Monarchs and Bees at Scale... through habitat on solar sites
Join us in launching a grassroots campaign celebrating and calling on solar developers to build solar farms
that include habitat for monarch butterflies, honey bees, bumblebees, and other important
pollinators.
Monarch and bee populations are in crisis and the best way to help is to create more habitat.
Developers can easily and cost-effectively incorporate region-specific deep-rooted grasses and wildflowers in the land management practices for solar farms. What's needed is a small change in the planning/building process to evaluate the costs of hauling in and maintaining gravel versus other ground cover crops.
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What We Need
The monarch butterfly population is at the lowest-recorded level in our lifetimes, and our honey bee and bumblebee pollinators that we rely on for our fruits and vegetables also are in serious decline
At a neighborhood level, everyone is encouraged to plant pollinator gardens. Solar sites are an opportunity to create millions of "pollinator gardens" throughout the United States.
Base Goal $5,500
An ad in a national solar industry trade magazine
Stretch Goal $24,000
A full-page ad in a prominent regional newspaper and an ad in a national solar industry trade magazine
The Impact
Minnesota alone will build 2,500 acres of solar farms over the next two construction seasons — equivalent to more than 750,000 12'x12' backyard bee & monarch gardens.
With your support, the five largest companies building these solar farms will include honeybee and monarch habitat on all of these sites, establishing a best-practice standard to be implemented nationwide.
Use of Funds / Campaign Thanks
- As a 501(c)3, with a 25-year track record of work in the public interest, Fresh Energy will receive a nonprofit rate for buying the ad and all funds raised will be used for the ad campaign and the organization's work related to it.
- If the base goal is not met, we will find a lower-cost ad placement. Funds that exceed one goal, but don't achieve another will be used for a lower-cost ad campaign.
- Patagonia St. Paul has generously donated a special gift that will be given to someone drawn at random that has supported this campaign or entered to win. All campaign donors will be eligible. To enter at no cost, send a postcard with your name and address to Fresh Energy at 408 St. Peter St., St. Paul, MN 55102.
Other Ways You Can Help
You can chip in toward the financial goal, and we would also love your help in getting the word out. Here are some sample tweets/Facebook posts you can copy/paste:
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Monarchs, honeybees, and birds need habitat. We all need clean energy. Join us in calling for pollinator habitat on solar farms. http://pollinatorpledge.com
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Start spring right, by calling for solar farms to be built with honeybee, monarch, and bird habitat. http://pollinatorpledge.com
The campaign team
- Dr. Raj Rajan: global sustainability and innovation leader, board member of Fresh Energy
- Michael Noble: Executive Director of Fresh Energy, an 501(c)3 non-profit organization that researches and advocates for policies that accelerate the transition to a clean energy economy
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Dr. Karen
Oberhauser: Professor in the Department of Fisheries, Wildlife and Conservation
Biology at the University of Minnesota
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Dr. Marla
Spivak: MacArthur Fellow, Distinguished McKnight Professor, Department of
Entomology at the University of Minnesota
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Russ
Henry: Land management and biodiversity consultant and president of Giving Tree
Gardens
