If we had $20,000 Sustainable Flatbush, a start-up, grassroots community organization, would build a mobile solar-electric PowerBike for our Brooklyn neighborhood.



Mobile, clean power

With a 200-watt solar panel, batteries for reserve power on cloudy days, and a modular design that fits neatly into a cargo bike, the PowerBike provides on-demand, mobile power for limitless applications:


- Anybody can charge their laptops, phones or mp3 players at Sustainable Flatbush events

- The system cranks out enough power to run a small sound system and lights for outdoor programming

- Local businesses "host" the PowerBike, attracting customers and highlighting their sustainable business practices

- Our community garden has clean electricity where there is no access to the electrical grid

- Of course, the PowerBike provides backup power in emergency situations



An inspiring learning tool

An education station makes the PowerBike ideal for teaching school kids about energy and the environment. Through appealing readouts and data-collection software, students monitor system performance like power output and avoided greenhouse gas emissions.



Why:

The residents of Flatbush, Brooklyn are showing what we can do on the neighborhood level to reduce our carbon footprint, fight global warming, and foster community at the same time.



This project is a long-term investment in local renewable energy for our community. Day after day, year after year, the neighborhood PowerBike keeps harnessing clean power, keeps teaching the skills that are the foundation of our new green economy, and keeps modeling a way of life that does not jeopardize future generations.