Walmart Foundation funds school solar project

CHICAGO, Ill. The Walmart Foundation has announced a $1.2 million dollar donation to the National Energy Education Development Project (NEED) to install solar panels on 20 schools in five cities across the country. The five cities taking part in the program are Chicago, Washington D.C., Los Angeles, Minneapolis and Seattle.

“The Walmart Solar School program will help educate the next generation on the opportunities and benefits of using more renewable energy,” said Margaret McKenna, president of the Walmart Foundation. “This program aligns perfectly with Walmart’s sustainability commitment to involve our communities and customers in our environmental and social efforts.”

According to the company, NEED will work with the school districts in each city to identify the participating schools. The 20 solar installations are expected to annually:

    * generate approximately 150,000 kilowatt hours (kWh) of electricity,    * save the schools more than $15,000 in energy costs and    * prevent more than 100 tons of greenhouse gases from entering the atmosphere.