Houston Furniture Bank and Green Mountain Energy Sun Club Celebrate New Solar Array

HOUSTON – March 30, 2021 /3BL Media/ – The Houston Furniture Bank and Green Mountain Energy Sun Club today celebrated the completion of a new solar array with the inauguration of a new mural at the Mattress Recycling Dropoff entrance. Green Mountain Energy Sun Club donated nearly $170,000 to install 85.47 kW of solar panels on the Houston Furniture Bank’s rooftop. A total of 223 solar panels are expected to cover 70% of the annual electricity needs for the Houston Furniture Bank’s main mattress recycling operation, preventing more than 186,000 pounds of carbon dioxide (CO2) on an annual basis, which is equivalent to nearly 300,000 miles not driven each year. Over the lifetime of the panels, energy savings to the nonprofit are projected to equal the value of providing assistance to over 1,800 children through its No Kids on the Floor program.

To mark the occasion, Houston Furniture Bank hosted a “Flip the Switch” event with an impressive list of speakers, including Rachel Powers, executive director of the Citizen’s Environmental Council, Lara Cottingham, chief sustainability officer for the City of Houston, Councilman Robert Gallegos, and Stacy Mehlhoff, executive director of the Green Mountain Energy Sun Club. In celebration, the group “flipped” the ceremonial switch on the solar array and dedicated a mural at the entrance of Houston Furniture Bank’s Mattress Recycling Center.

To create the mural, Houston Furniture Bank reached out to Veronica “Roni” Cabrera, an artist and community leader who is based in Eastex Jensen Houston. The commissioned piece adorning the organization’s Mattress Recycling Center will act as a thank-you to Houstonians, whose sustained gifts allow Houston Furniture Bank to grow its No Kids on the Floor program to create a healthy living environment where no child sleeps on the floor. The new colorful and vibrant mural, “A World of Good”, will welcome mattress donors and highlight the organization’s commitment to sustainability, from mattress recycling to connecting families in need with gently-used furniture to minimizing their carbon footprint, thanks to the solar energy panels provided by the Green Mountain Energy Sun Club.

“One of our goals from the beginning when we first opened our doors almost 30 years ago now has been to be a socially-responsible, environmentally sustainable organization that could meet the needs of the growing region. Partnerships like this have supported our growth over time and will continue to help us expand our impact well into the future,” said Oli Mohammed, executive director of the Houston Furniture Bank. “We are incredibly grateful to the Green Mountain Energy Sun Club for believing in our work and investing in our mission. This is the beginning of another great relationship for the Houston Furniture Bank with a responsible corporate citizen.”   

Green Mountain Energy, the nation’s longest-serving renewable energy retailer, founded Sun Club in 2002 to help a growing number of nonprofits looking to install solar panels and reduce their environmental footprint as a way to expand their focus to larger sustainability issues. Thanks to donations from customers, employees, and Green Mountain Energy, Sun Club has awarded $10 million in grants for nonprofits committed to implementing sustainability projects promoting renewable energy, energy efficiency, resource conservation and environmental stewardship.

“Sun Club grants allow Green Mountain Energy to advance our sustainability leadership in Texas, and we are proud to work with the Houston Furniture Bank, whose flagship mattress-recycling program is a great example of using sustainability to benefit the community,” said Mark Parsons, vice president, and general manager of Green Mountain Energy. “The new solar array will support their sustainability agenda with clean, renewable power for their headquarters, which is also home to an impressive recycling operation.”

Founded in 2020, the Houston Furniture Bank is committed to Making Empty Houses Homes. In 2020, the organization inaugurated its new Houston Furniture Bank North location in the Woodlands and achieved 100,000 mattresses recycled through its signature Mattress Recycling Center and 100,000 individuals served. To get involved and help the Houston Furniture Bank’s mission of “Making Empty Houses Homes,” go to houstonfurniturebank.org.

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About Houston Furniture Bank

The Houston Furniture Bank’s mission is to furnish hope by Making Empty Houses Homes. With the support of industry partners and the Houston community, we work with over 50 social service partner agencies to provide essential furniture to families in need. Houston Furniture Bank serves families affected by poverty, homelessness, domestic violence, mental and physical health concerns, and disasters. We served over 2,000 families in 2019. Following Hurricane Harvey, Houston Furniture Bank has provided furniture assistance to over 3,500 families affected by the storm. In 2020, Houston Furniture Bank’s “No Kids on the Floor” initiative provided beds to over 1,000 children. Houston Furniture Bank is a second-chance organization, providing meaningful and gainful employment to over 40 families.

About Green Mountain Energy Sun Club

Green Mountain Energy is changing the way power is made and advancing sustainable communities through the work of the Green Mountain Energy Sun Club. Since its founding in 2002, the Sun Club® had donated more than $10 million to more than 122 non-profit organizations across Texas and the Northeast. The Sun Club collaborates with non-profit organizations on projects that focus on renewable energy, energy efficiency, resource conservation and environmental stewardship. To learn more about (Green Mountain Energy and) the Sun Club or to apply for a Sun Club grant, visit gmesunclub.org.