Noah and Nick's Solar Project for LHA

Family, friends, colleagues, and Louisiana Himalaya Association (LHA) supporters and volunteers,

We have teamed up with LHA for the Ahimsa Guest House Solar Project.  The initiative:  Install a rooftop solar energy system on the non-profit's rooftop in Dharamsala, India.

The rooftop solar energy will reduce LHA's electricity costs, redirect funds to other social work projects, and power the newly constructed Café! (Another new and exciting self-sustaining initiative at LHA).  

Hundreds of volunteers stay at the Ahimsa guest house every year as a spring board for their community work. 

We are incredibly excited to bridge our passion for solar with our love for the Tibetan Refugee community and lead this first solar project with LHA.  Today, we invite you to join us in this effort. 

Nick and Noah Following a Project Planning Meeting with Neil in NYC in December 2018

THE BACKSTORY

As many of our friends and family know, we have been very fortunate to volunteer twice with the Tibetan Refugee community in Northern India, and it has been one of the most influential experiences of our lives. 

In exchange for our volunteer service, we've learned so much from our Tibetan friends about the importance of compassion, the power of resiliency, and the value of relationship.  

Nick and Tsering with the Tulane Student Group

We worked alongside the Louisiana Himalaya Association (LHA), a New Orleans based organization that attracts 500+ volunteers from 40+ countries to India each year.  Founded by our former Tulane professor, Neil Guidry, the organization just celebrated an amazing 20 years of impact.

THE AHIMSA GUEST HOUSE SOLAR PROJECT

On his last trip, Noah met with Ngawang, LHA's director, to explore a solar project for the LHA guesthouse. During the brainstorming session, it became evident that installing solar panels will be a long-term, sustainable solution to help redirect funds every month to social services instead of paying for electricity. 

The project will also serve as a teaching tool for the Tibetan community and be one of the first of its kind in the area, making LHA a true clean energy leader in the community. 


The Ahimsa Guest House

Since then, Nick and Noah have been working with Dorji and Sherab from LHA to select a local contractor, design the system, and coordinate the installation. 

Based in Dharamsala, India, the 4-story guesthouse, owned by LHA, provides volunteers with a place to stay and is the home of the LHA Soup Kitchen (and new Café!).

The coolest part about the guesthouse...it is located just steps away from the Home and Temple of The Dalai Lama!

The designed system is rated at 3,960 watts and design to produce over 4,000 units of electricity every year -- environmentally comparable to avoiding 100,000 miles of driving or planting over 1,000 trees!

More energy from the sun means more funds to sustain LHA's Tibetan community social service projects, including:

- Language and Computer Classes
- LHA Soup Kitchen
- Clean Water Programs
- Environmental Projects
- Elder Assistance
- Medical, Dental, and Eye Care Programs
- Student Trips (Tulane, Loyola, and More)

Nick Helping Out with an Art Project at a local Tibetan Grade School

For more information on LHA check out www.lhainfo.org. Learn about the founding of LHA at www.lhainfo.org/about .

THE LONG TERM VISION

Our mission for 2019 is to complete the LHA guesthouse solar installation. We've identified over 20 other sites including schools, monasteries, and nunneries that would also benefit from solar energy. Our goal is to do just this one project, learn the ropes, and build on our efforts in the most cost-effective and impactful way possible as we move forward to new sites in the future. In recent years, LHA supported a clean water program which has now installed water filtration systems in 25 locations throughout the Tibetan refugee community! Now we have an opportunity to bring them clean energy as well. 

OUR IMPACT STARTS TODAY

Now that we've worked in the solar and electricity industry for nearly five years, we are ready to fuse our solar knowledge with our passion for supporting the Tibetan community. We are excited to give back and thank you for joining us in this meaningful project. 

Faced with cultural genocide, loss of their country and many other human rights violations since the 1950s, the Tibetans have remained a resilient, nonviolent, compassionate and generous people. They have so much to offer to the world through their lives, their culture, their struggle and their wisdom teachings. Forming bonds with Tibetans and studying their culture has been one of the greatest joys of our lives, which is why this project is so truly dear to our hearts. 

Thank you for your support and generosity!  Want to get involved?  Give us a call!

Tashi Delek! (Blessing and Good Luck)

Nick and Noah





The Louisiana Himalaya Association
The Louisiana Himalaya Association is a 501(c)(3) tax exempt organization, please see its website for further details. For your records, we will send you an email receipt upon successful completion of your donation. 100% of donations will be awarded to the Louisiana Himalaya Association and directed to the guesthouse solar project. Any excess funds will be placed in the LHA general fund.


LHA is COMPLETELY volunteer-staffed and all our volunteers cover their own expenses. From the New Orleans office space to accounting and legal services, ALL RESOURCES and work hours are DONATED by our Board of Directors and other members of the LHA team, rendering LHA 100% free of overhead expenses. 100% of donations to LHA go directly to the actual social service projects for which they are donated. LHA has worked with the Tibetan community since 1997. In 2017, LHA held a gala event in Dharamsala to celebrate 20 years of service to the Tibetan community.