Saint Louis University celebrated the culmination of the installation of nine solar arrays throughout the midtown campus Friday during the “Solar at SLU” reception at the Everest Education Union.
Brandon Verhoff, director of Sustainability and Benchmarking, welcomed a crowd of nearly 50 people, followed by remarks from Rick Hunter, CEO of Microgrid Solar, a partner in SLU’s solar installation.
“We’re thrilled that we could be a part of this,” Hunter said. “I’m a SLU alumnus, and it makes me personally proud that SLU has taken this leadership. When SLU installs solar, everyone takes notice. … Hopefully it’s just the beginning of other clean energy projects here at SLU.”Solar at SLU
Hunter presented a plaque to University President Fred P. Pestello, Ph.D., who then addressed the crowd, as well. Pestello referenced the pope’s recent encyclical about the environment and stewardship of the earth.
“This is one wonderful way that we can take seriously Pope Francis’ call to support sustainability; to support the Earth,” he said. “This goes right to the heart of our mission. We will continue to build on this momentum and deepen our commitment to sustainability.”
Before addressing the solar project, Pestello also thanked members of the facilities services division for their work during last month’s power outage, and acknowledged their ongoing efforts to keep SLU’s midtown campus beautiful.
The event concluded with a tour of the roof of the Allied Health Professions Building, during which Verhoff and Hunter explained how the solar technology is working at SLU.
Click here to read the announcement in Feburary about the project’s beginning, and hereto read about the additional three panels added to the project schedule in March. Click here to learn more about the solar panel project and sustainability at SLU.
This article was originally posted by Saint Louis University
