Ever flipped on a light switch and wondered where that power actually came from?
For most of us, it's invisible — until the day it comes from the sun instead of a smokestack. That shift, multiplied across a million villages and rooftops, is exactly what our Renewable Energy Initiative is working to make real.
That's the mission this initiative exists to advance.
Our Renewable Energy Initiative brings together Rotarians and friends around one shared goal: getting real solar power onto real roofs, through several connected efforts:
The Million Solar Panel Challenge — a rallying call for Rotarians and friends worldwide to help install one million solar panels
Solar Habitat for Humanity — partnering with Habitat for Humanity to bring solar power directly to the families and organizations building new homes
Two Rotary Foundation Grants — funding solar installation work as part of Rotary's broader environmental and humanitarian mission
Why it matters:
Clean energy is one of the most direct ways to cut emissions while also lowering costs for the families who need it most. This initiative puts that power into action by:
Turning Rotary's global reach into real, installed solar capacity
Pairing clean energy directly with affordable housing through Habitat for Humanity
Using Rotary Foundation Grants to fund the training and installation work that makes it all possible
An initiative of the Earth Network Rotary Club, this work channels Rotary's environmental commitment into something you can point to and say: that home, that rooftop, that panel — that's ours.
Here's how your gift helps: thanks to a matching grant from Karen Kendrick-Hands and Larry Hands, every dollar you give is doubled — so a $50 gift becomes $100 toward getting closer to a million panels.
Your gift helps flip the switch — for a family who needs it, and for a planet that does too.