What is a Solar Table?
An outdoor picnic table with outlets for charging your laptop or phone. The solar panels on the umbrella of the table and battery pack at the center stores the solar energy for use during day or night.
There are even built in lights and the power station can be flipped on to use the charging station at the table as needed.
Above: Rob Ford, a UMBC undergraduate who was part of the winning grant proposal team that brought the solar tables to campus, charging his phone using renewable solar energy. The tables are located at the plaza in front of Administration Building and RAC, in the Harbor Hall courtyard, and at the Commons.
How did the tables get here?
Students decided to create a team called SOLARetrievers, including members from the UMBC Chapter of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (led by sustainability intern Andrew Brow and including eco-ambassador Rob Ford) and they worked together last year (2014 to 2015) to develop a grant proposal to bring the solar tables to campus.
The tables were funded through Prove It, a grant administered by the student government offering students grants through the funding accrued by student fees for ideas on ways to improve campus. Students then voted on the grant proposals deemed feasible. The other Prove It grant winner last year was the Retriever Treasure Move out program (collecting and redistributing otherwise discarded reusable items to reduce the amount of unnecessary waste during move out, and reduce consumption at the beginning of the year during move in). Previous winners of Prove It include UMBC's community garden team, biodiesel club, and the fine arts green space. (It's pretty clear students are excited to propose, vote to fund, and implement sustainability projects!)
The team of students reached out to establish partnerships with Facilities Management, the Commons and Residential Life to allow the solar tables to be installed on campus. Each partner also matched with additional funding, thus increasing the number of solar tables from one, funded by students up to four funded by Facilities, Commons and Res Life. The company EnerFusion Inc. installed the 'Solar-Power Dok tables.'
Can I Do That?
Whether you are a student, faculty, or staff person on campus, and you have an idea to improve campus, there are various funding sources and willing partners that can work with you to find resources and approval to make a lasting impact on campus. Learn more about available funding and other success stories at BreakingGround: https://umbcbreakingground.wordpress.com/get-involved/apply/
