Best For The World Honoree Namasté Solar Acts Every Day for Our Planet’s Future
As a Certified B Corporation since 2011, Namasté Solar operates as an employee-owned cooperative that designs, installs, and maintains solar energy systems for homeowners, commercial property owners, and utility-scale developers. Our Boulder and Denver, Colorado-based B Corp earned honors as a 2019 Best For The World honoree in the Workers and Environment categories for our future-minded business practices and activities as a sustainable leader.
“Our mission is to propagate the responsible use of solar energy, pioneer conscientious business practices, and create holistic wealth for ourselves and our community,” says Jason Sharpe, CEO at Namasté Solar. “These principles are embedded in the decisions we make and the projects we do and align with the requirements of a Certified B Corporation.”
In September, 110 Namasté Solar workers signed a letter in support of the climate strike, and 50 workers and family members marched together at the Denver Climate Strike. As we came back to work after the climate strike, we felt re-energized in our mission to transform energy and transform business.
The 2019 Best For The World Honorees are building a more inclusive, regenerative economy focused on having a positive impact for all stakeholders.
To transform energy, we are installing solar panels in Colorado for homeowners and businesses so more people can capture the money-saving benefits of solar while benefiting the environment. To transform business, we are part of the B Corp movement that is using business as a force for good; being a conscious consumer is an excellent way to make an impact in your day-to-day.
“Being a Certified B Corporation demonstrates that we are committed to socially conscious business practices,” says Geri Mitchell-Brown, director of employee experience at Namasté Solar. “Our customers amplify their impact by working with a local Colorado company that has passed the rigorous standards of social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency required.”
Community Impact
A new solar project brings the benefits of solar energy to Namasté Solar’s home community. We recently completed engineering and construction on a 10-megawatt solar array for NextEra Energy Resources at IBM’s Boulder campus. The 10 megawatts of generating capacity is the equivalent of providing enough electricity every year to fully power more than 2,200 homes or remove 14.7 million pounds of CO2 pollution from the air (equal to 16.5 million miles not driven).
The solar modules at IBM are mounted on a single-axis tracker, which orients the panels toward the sun to increase the amount of energy produced. The IBM solar array contributes 20% to Boulder’s local renewable power generation target of 50 megawatts from renewable energy sources by 2020.
Environmental Impact
By providing a service that benefits the current and future health of the planet and its people, Namasté Solar serves as an example for other businesses looking to incorporate benefit for all stakeholders. Here are a few examples:
- Since inception nearly 15 years ago, Namasté Solar has installed more than 7,400 clean energy systems that produce over 100 megawatts of solar PV system generating capacity. This is the equivalent to producing electricity for 20,250 homes each year or removing greenhouse gas emissions from 280,094,039 miles driven by an average passenger car.
- Namasté Solar is a longtime, active member company in the Colorado Solar and Storage Association, which advances solar and storage deployments, highlights emerging trends, and improves industry connections throughout the state while leading Colorado toward its 100% clean energy goal.
- As part of our mission to create a cleaner, healthier environment and to support the communities where we live and work, Namasté Solar has installed electric vehicle (EV) charging stations at multiple locations in Boulder and Denver. These charging stations, which can be used for free, help create a robust infrastructure for current EV users and increase EV adoption by employees of our cooperative and other members of these communities.
- Every day, Namasté Solar services homeowners’ solar photovolatic systems that were installed by companies that are no longer in business. In 2018, the B Corp repaired over 500 systems not originally installed by Namasté Solar in order to keep them generating solar energy.
“We’re honored to be on the Best For Workers list for the eighth year in a row,” says Mitchell-Brown. “Namasté Solar has taken an uncommon approach to business. We choose co-ownership over hierarchy. We don’t measure profit just in terms of dollars and cents, but also in holistic profit, which includes a higher quality life for employees. Our employees are the owners, and collectively decide what makes a balanced, healthy and happy workplace.”
B the Change gathers and shares the voices from within the movement of people using business as a force for good and the community of Certified B Corporations. The opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of the nonprofit B Lab.
Shining Bright as a Sustainable Leader was originally published in B the Change on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
