EARTH RECOVERY KATOOMBA

Project: Successful

The Goal

The second Sunshine Project under its Green Community Program was successfully completed in 2019. The object was to raise $6,000 towards the supply and installation of a rooftop solar system for Earth Recovery Katoomba to reduce its energy costs for the next 20 years, allowing it to direct financial resources to assist people-in-need. Earth Recovery feeds, clothes and supports people in-need in the Blue Mountains. Uniting Church Katoomba hosts the organisation.

The 5kW solar system installed on the building used for the homeless to wash and launder their clothes.

Campaign Information

Ecoprofit, working with the Katoomba Rotary Club, successfully raised the $6,000. One $ of each carbon offset sold by Ecoprofit was donated for the solar system. 

​Rotary International matched dollar for dollar money raised effectively donating half the funds. Funding was also received from Rotary International, Bendigo Bank, BMRenew, Kerry Brown on behalf of the Blue Mountains City Council, the Ramsay family, Theo Poulos Real Estate and many other small businesses and households. 

​At the cutting of the ribbon ceremony, Rosa del Ponte, director of Earth Recovery, thanked Sunshine Project, the Uniting Church for the support given to allow the agency to operate and Rotary for the solar panels which would power the community kitchen and support facilities. State MP, Trish Doyle, acknowledged the critical work Earth Recovery provides to the Blue Mountains community. She also acknowledged the great work by Winton Evers and Sunshine Project to “make the project happen”.

The projected annual energy cost saving to that organisation is $1,500 per annum initially, increasing year on year. Now free sunshine can be the energy source for a significant part of their energy consumption.

Ecoprofit donated $1 for each carbon offset it sold towards funding the solar system in the process of making its business clients carbon neutral. The majority of the offsets were acquired through the Clean Development Mechanism standard with the majority of the offsets acquired for the construction of 7.52 MW bundled solar facilities in Madhya Pradesh, India. Advantages of the project include:

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  • Per annum it will displace 11,278,000 kWh of coal fired generated electricity.

  • The project activity will lead to alleviation of poverty by generating additional employment, investment in the region and contribution to provision of basic amenities to people in the Madhya Pradesh district.