GRID Alternatives' Solar Spring Break is a service-learning program that gives college students from around the country the opportunity to spend their vacation week installing solar in economic and environmental justice communities. More than that, students learn how the power of the sun can bring real-world benefits to real-world economic problems.
Until further notice, Solar Spring Break is on hold due to the impacts and uncertainty of COVID-19. To stay involved during the 2021-22 season:
- Interested schools can inquire about a Spring environmental justice and solar technology course. Please email solarspringbreak@gridalternatives.org to learn more.
- Students can check out the 2021 Solar Spark Collegiate conference recordings linked below.
We are hoping to offer Solar Spring Break in 2023.
Solar Spark 2021: a virtual collegiate conference
To ensure the health and safety of our communities, volunteers, and staff, like many of you, we had to change our typical programming for 2021 and did not host the usual in-person Solar Spring Break (SSB). Instead, we were able to work virtually with college students from across the country to put on our first-ever collegiate conference, Solar Spark. The conference focused on environmental equity and sustainability and had over 120 college student attendees learning and talking about how they can make a change and get involved. Stay tuned for 2022 collegiate programming opportunities. We had an impressive lineup of experts leading the sessions that were facilitated 100% by students. You can engage in those sessions by viewing the captioned conference recordings on our linktr.ee!
"The Solar Spark conference taught me that there is space for scientists and engineers in social justice movements, and having a STEM background can allow me to make unique contributions to causes I believe in, like racial justice.” - Emily
“Wow I learned so much - the main takeaway [from Solar Spark] I had was energy is a poorly distributed resource and it takes a combination of social justice, technology innovation, and community awareness to shape a sustainable and equitable grid system.” - Elisabeth
Thank you to the following colleges and universities who helped to plan and put on the Solar Spark virtual collegiate conference in April 2021
- North Carolina State University
- Santa Rosa Junior College
- University of California, Berkeley
- Stanford University
- Duke University
Click here to read about our past Solar Spring Break adventures!