From our March Newsletter, by Keisha Benjamin, Development Sr. Associate
Bronx Design & Construction Academy students during a Solar One Career and Technical Education (CTE) lesson about solar power, panels, and installation
As March brings the spring equinox, this is a season of renewal and growth where Solar One is turning our 2026 plans into action across education, workforce development, and community engagement. From expanding climate education statewide to deepening partnerships and creating pathways into the green economy, this month reflects the momentum building across all of our programs and how you can be a part of it!
IN THIS MONTH’S NEWSLETTER:
Climate education becomes a statewide priority across New York
New sustainability grant partnerships with NYC schools
Expanding green workforce pathways through the Bronx & Brooklyn Clean Energy Hub
Policy advocacy for equitable access to solar in affordable housing
Celebrating our staff, Candace’s impact and continuing park stewardship this spring
EXPANDING CLIMATE EDUCATION ACROSS NEW YORK STATE
New York is taking a major step forward in climate education! The New York State Board of Regents has approved a requirement to integrate climate education across K–12 schools statewide. Solar One is proud of the Climate and Education Resilience Task Force for their many years of advocacy. Beginning in the 2027–28 school year for grades 5–12 and expanding to grades K–4 in 2028–29, students across the state will gain a deeper understanding of the causes, impacts, and solutions to the climate crisis. New York is setting a powerful precedent, and Solar One is excited to support schools in bringing this vision to life.
GROWING PARTNERSHIPS THROUGH SUSTAINABILITY GRANTS
This spring, Solar One is deepening our impact through new school partnerships. Seven schools have selected Solar One as their partner for Sustainability Grant projects through the Office of Energy and Sustainability. We look forward to collaborating with Brooklyn Technical High School, Brooklyn STEAM Center, Bronx Design and Construction Academy, Amistad Dual Language School, Queens Collegiate, P.S. 22R, and the High School for Enterprise, Business & Technology. These partnerships will support hands-on, student-centered sustainability initiatives that bring climate education to life in classrooms and communities.
SPRING FIELD TRIPS IN HIGH DEMAND
As interest in environmental education continues to grow, spring field trips to the Solar One Environmental Education Center at Stuyvesant Cove Park are filling up quickly. Students have the opportunity to engage directly with clean energy systems, green building design, and urban sustainability in an interactive, waterfront setting. We encourage educators to reserve their spots soon and bring their students to experience climate learning in action this season! Learn more about our STEM experiences.
PARTNERING TO BUILD PATHWAYS INTO THE GREEN WORKFORCE
Solar One is part of the growing ecosystem of workforce development through the Bronx and Brooklyn Clean Energy Hub. The Hub helps New Yorkers in underserved communities access training, certifications, and job placement opportunities, while also connecting businesses to a diverse and talented workforce. Solar One is one of its key education and training partners.
New participants can explore and enroll in Solar One workforce programs through the Hub. Individuals can find available hands-on training opportunities, including programs at Solar One’s Workforce Training Center in Long Island City, where they gain practical, real-world experience aligned with their career goals.
Our free training programs provide hands-on experience and industry aligned skills in solar installation, construction, HVAC, green building operations, and environmental remediation.
Learn more about applying with our partner programs in the Bronx and Brooklyn Clean Energy Hub.
AFFORDABLE SOLAR FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING
An important update from our policy initiatives by Kate Selden:
Our top priority in NYC is to expand New York City’s Solar and Storage Property Tax Abatement to include a “Direct Pay” mechanism so nonprofits, affordable housing providers, and faith-based institutions can finally access the city’s only solar incentive.
While the program currently allows building owners to reduce their property taxes by 30% of the cost of installing solar and storage over four years, many mission-driven organizations are excluded because they are already tax-exempt.
At a time when electricity bills are skyrocketing and federal solar incentives are being rolled back, this gap is growing more urgent. State legislation—A.5959 (Carroll) and S.4272 (Kavanagh)—would fix the problem by enabling direct payment of the abatement, allowing these organizations and housing providers to receive the value of the incentive as a payment.
How do we get this important bill passed? Even though it’s a state bill, it only applies to NYC, and state legislators need to know that the City is in support of its passage. So we need to push the Mayor to indicate the city’s support for this bill.
Are you part of an organization that can show support? Please get in touch with us at externalaffairs@solar1.org for info on how we can work together across NYC!
HONORING CANDACE’S STEWARDSHIP OF STUYVESANT COVE PARK
As Candace concludes their six-year journey as Senior Park Manager at Solar One, we celebrate the extraordinary care, vision, and resilience they brought to Stuyvesant Cove Park. Through seasons of change and major reconstruction along the East River, Candace helped the park not only endure, but flourish beyond its floodwalls as a space for community, learning, and connection. They cultivated a place where New Yorkers could literally get their hands dirty, engaging volunteers, students, and neighbors in the shared work and navigating the complex realities of maintaining a public, urban green space.
While Candace is stepping away from their formal role, we’re grateful they will remain part of the Solar One family and community until their next chapter. We hope you’ll join us at our upcoming park stewardship event, Spring Chop & Drop on March 28. Volunteers will help prepare the park for the growing season by cutting back grasses and plant material to support new growth, return nutrients to the soil, and keep our waterfront ecosystem thriving. It’s also a chance to learn sustainable land-care techniques, spend time outdoors by the river, and connect with a passionate community of stewards. Sign up and join us in continuing the work Candace helped make so meaningful.
COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHTS:
JOIN SOLAR ONE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT THIS EARTH DAY, APRIL 22ND
Solar One is inviting community-based organizations, employers, and service providers to table at no cost and engage directly with our Green Workforce graduates who are seeking to connect with job opportunities, training programs, and essential service work while strengthening pathways to economic mobility and sustainability. This event creates meaningful, in-person connections with talented and certified individuals, increases access to career resources, and expands community impact through equitable outreach and collaboration.
If you are an employer, please register to table with Solar One here.
CELEBRATE YOUR NEXT MILESTONE AT THE BRANT EVENT SPACE
While our Environmental Education Center operates as a beacon for classroom learning and community enrichment, it’s also serves as The Brant Event Space. Offering a memorable place to host your next special moment with stunning views of the East River and the Brooklyn and Queens waterfronts in New York City.
The Brant offers a bright, one-of-a-kind setting for receptions, dinners, meetings, conferences, and celebrations, all while supporting our mission. Indoor capacity accommodates up to 150 guests with required NYC permits, and weather permitting, events can extend into our native plant park and outdoor amphitheater with one-of-a-kind views of the river.
Learn more and start planning your event at solar1.org/the-brant-event-space
UPCOMING EVENTS WITH SOLAR ONE & FRIENDS
Solar One Community Campaign Webinars (Bronx & Brooklyn Clean Energy Hub)
March 24, 2026 @ 6:00 PM–6:30 PM (Community Solar Webinar)
March 26, 2026 @ 12:00 PM–1:30 PM (Barrio Solar Webinar)
https://bxbkenergyhub.org/en/calendar
Solar One Spring Chop & Drop at Stuy Cove Park
Saturday, March 28, 2026 @ 9:00 AM
https://tinyurl.com/scp0326
Solar One Spring Herb Planter Roll Out
Saturday, April 25, 2026 @ 9:00 AM
https://tinyurl.com/scp0425
Astoria Street Tree Care with Super Stewards
Saturday, March 21, 2026 @ 10:00 AM–12:00 PM
https://www.nycgovparks.org/events/2026/03/21/astoria-street-tree-care-with-super-stewards
March Equinox Madness with Friends of Inwood Hill Park
Saturday, March 21, 2026 @ 10:00 AM–12:00 PM
https://www.nycgovparks.org/events/2026/03/21/march-equinox-madness-with-friends-of-inwood-hill-park
Spring Equinox Celebration
Saturday, March 21, 2026 @ 12:00 PM–2:00 PM
https://www.nycgovparks.org/events/2026/03/21/spring-equinox-celebration
Poetry Corner
Friday, March 27, 2026 @ 6:00 PM–9:00 PM
https://www.nycgovparks.org/events/2026/03/27/poetry-corner
Forest Park Horticulture Helpers
Saturday, March 28, 2026 @ 10:00 AM–12:00 PM
https://www.nycgovparks.org/events/2026/03/28/328-forest-park-horticulture-helpers
Saltwater Fishing
Saturday, March 28, 2026 @ 10:00 AM–11:30 AM
https://www.nycgovparks.org/events/2026/03/28/saltwater-fishing
Let’s Go Birding Together (LGBT)
Saturday, March 28, 2026 @ 10:00 AM–11:30 AM
https://www.nycgovparks.org/events/2026/03/28/lets-go-birding-together-lgbt
Spring Kickoff Hike
Saturday, March 28, 2026 @ 10:00 AM–12:00 PM
https://www.nycgovparks.org/events/2026/03/28/spring-kickoff-hike
Spring Cleaning Eco-Fair
Saturday, March 28, 2026 @ 11:00 AM–1:00 PM
https://www.nycgovparks.org/events/2026/03/28/spring-cleaning-ecofair
Stargazing in West Harlem
Saturday, March 28, 2026 @ 7:30 PM–9:30 PM
https://www.nycgovparks.org/events/2026/03/28/stargazing-in-west-harlem
Birding: Early Spring Migration
Sunday, March 29, 2026 @ 9:00 AM–10:30 AM
https://www.nycgovparks.org/events/2026/03/29/birding-early-spring-migration1
Restoration Fridays at Forest Park
Friday, April 3, 2026 @ 10:00 AM–12:00 PM
https://www.nycgovparks.org/events/2026/04/03/43-restoration-fridays-at-forest-park
About Solar One
Solar One is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization whose mission is to design and deliver innovative education, training, and technical assistance that fosters sustainability and resiliency in diverse urban environments. Solar One facilitates learning that changes the way people think about energy, sustainability, and resilience by engaging diverse program participants across NYC boroughs. Programs help individuals and communities explore new ways of living and working that are more adaptive to a climate-change impacted world. Learn more at solar1.org.
Solar One Media Contact
Daphne Aquije, daphne@solar1.org
