A nonprofit founded in 2002, LifeLine Animal Project provides lifesaving solutions to end the euthanasia of healthy and treatable animals in county shelters. They are the largest animal welfare organization in Georgia, helping more than 350,000 animals in the last twenty years.

LifeLine manages DeKalb and Fulton County Animal Services, where it has sustained no-kill levels, and operates two LifeLine Spay & Neuter Clinics. LifeLine provides services to over 43,000 animals annually and has performed 195,500 free and low-cost spay/neuter surgeries to date, including 61,100 stray/feral cats through its Community Cat program, metro Atlanta’s first and largest trap-neuter-return assistance program. Their community outreach improves the quality of life for animals in the community and helps prevent pet overpopulation. LifeLine’s Community Animal Center features an adoption center and a full-service, low-cost veterinary clinic to help make pet care accessible to all. 

About the Ribbon Cutting Celebration

On March 30, LifeLine Animal Project, the state’s largest animal welfare organization, in partnership with RE-volv and its Georgia Tech Solar Ambassador chapter, celebrated the installation of their new 200kW solar system. With solar, LifeLine will save $1.6 million on their electrical bills over the life of the system which they will re-invest in their animal welfare services and avoid emissions equivalent to removing more than 1,000 gas-powered vehicles from the road for a year. 

The celebration consisted of a solar ribbon cutting ceremony with a brief speaking program, featuring remarks from Chandra Farley, Chief Sustainability Officer of the City of Atlanta, and Patty Durand, Georgia Public Service Commission Candidate in 2023, as well as a solar themed pet adoption day.

Georgia Tech Students Spearheading the Switch to Solar

RE-volv Solar Ambassador fellows from Georgia Institute of Technology led the initial outreach efforts over two years ago to make this project possible. “As a student with a growing passion for renewable energy, the Solar Ambassador program looked like the perfect way to get experience with solar and simultaneously make a difference in my community - indeed it was!” shared Ella, former president of Georgia Tech’s Solar Ambassador chapter. “Through the LifeLine project, it has been truly remarkable to witness that potential realized, creating something spectacular for our community, planet, and Ambassadors alike.” After spearheading this project, Ella graduated and is now working as a solar energy analyst.

Through RE-volv’s year-long fellowship program, over 400 ambassadors nationally have gained real-world experience conducting outreach with local nonprofits interested in going solar. Ambassadors are trained through an exclusive solar education curriculum, lead RE-volv’s solar project development process, plan sustainability events on their campus, and are connected with leading solar employers. 

Inspiring Georgia Residents to Invest in Clean Energy – and Save Big

At the event, RE-volv in partnership with Capital Good Fund, a nonprofit Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI), launched a special offer for Atlanta residents to go solar and support animal welfare. Residents of all income levels across the entire state can go solar with Georgia BRIGHT, Capital Good Fund’s zero-down residential solar system lease and Capital Good Fund will make a donation on residents’ behalf to LifeLine. This offer is valid through May 31, 2024. To get started and learn more about Georgia BRIGHT, please visit www.georgiabright.org. Those who close a Georgia BRIGHT lease from March 30 to April 30 will receive a $250 Visa gift card as a special offer. 

“The well-researched ‘solar seeding effect’ shows that one non-residential solar installation will spark 80 residential solar installations in the next 5 years.” said Andreas Karelas, Founder and CEO of RE-volv. “We are proud to support LifeLine with this bold commitment to sustainability, highlighting solar energy as an accessible option for residents to save money and create a greener community.