Emily Burns is a Solar Ambassador on the University of Dayton Team. Emily has been involved in the Solar Ambassador program for four years, since she was a freshman until she graduated from the University of Dayton in spring 2021.

During the presentation for the University of Dayton’s Clean Energy Speaker Series, Emily discusses how the upfront cost of solar can prohibit many individuals, groups, and nonprofits from going solar. She also highlights how difficult it is for nonprofits in particular to get loans for their solar projects and that these organizations can not take advantage of the solar tax benefits. RE-volv helps nonprofits go solar who face major barriers to getting their solar projects financed, and in this presentation Emily discusses how this is achieved.

About the University of Dayton’s Solar Projects

The University of Dayton Solar Ambassador team has brought solar to two community-serving nonprofits in Dayton, including Mission of Mary and East End Community Services. Mission of Mary Cooperative is a nonprofit organization that addresses food deserts and social justice issues in East Dayton by providing access to healthy, affordable food. Mission of Mary aims to provide tangible benefits for the people of the Dayton community, as well as revitalize vacant and forgotten neighborhood land, by growing and distributing nutritious food and educating their neighbors about healthy and sustainable lifestyles. East End Community Services specializes in providing youth, family, and neighborhood development programs to families in inner East Dayton to help break the cycle of multi-generation poverty. During the presentation, Emily introduces both of these projects and talks about how the University of Dayton Solar Ambassadors brought solar to these two nonprofits. View the presentation to learn more about the University of Dayton team, their two solar projects, and RE-volv’s solar financing model.

Get Involved - Become a Solar Ambassador

RE-volv’s Solar Ambassador Fellowship is a fellowship for one academic year that gives college students the opportunity to spearhead a solar project in their community using RE-volv’s innovative solar financing model. Throughout the fellowship, students help bring solar to a local nonprofit, learn about solar financing and technology, and educate the local community on the importance of solar and clean energy. For more information and to sign up to be a Solar Ambassador, head over to our Solar Ambassador Teams page.