How, Who, What, When

I've gotta start this off by saying a huge thank you to everyone for their support. This project is a success due to the enthusiasm of our supporters and as of now, it is better than I could have hoped.

This week I would like to take the time to explain about how exactly Step3Project provides energy and where the money goes. Let’s start at stage one.

First and most importantly, we sell products. Now, from each of these sales a $10 contribution is stashed away for future use. Installing energy generating infrastructure is an expensive process which prevents us from immediately putting your $10 to use, however with increasing sales the total number of contributions continues to grow and allows us to open more doors.

The next step is finding a suitable place to use the money. To do this we take several factors into account including the total cost of the project, it's location and the necessity of our services. Our goal is to be able to bring renewable energy to nature centered areas that are off grid. Places like backcountry cabins, parks facilities and lodges come to mind initially. In the future, we would like to be able to participate in international aid to support countries by skipping the dirty energy stage entirely. A huge part of this process is talking to owners and governing groups to find out what their plans are and if we can help. They can give us an idea of what systems will work with their location.

This brings us to Step 3! We must choose how we will create the energy. For most places solar panels can be effective, however if there is running water close by, hydro electricity is a much better choice. Turbines are ideal because they enable electricity to be generated on a continual basis. Ultimately it comes down to what the area offers and how much energy is needed. Some places are only accessed occasionally so a single panel to run a few lights would suffice while other places are constantly inhabited and need something more substantial. For larger scale projects wind energy becomes a great option due to it’s versatility and continual generation.

Once we have decided on a location and the type of infrastructure it is time to get the ball rolling. We will use our accumulated funds from the sales to purchase the solar panels, turbines and other accessory pieces like batteries, wiring and inverters. At this point everything is ready to go and all that remains is to work with local businesses and contractors who hold interest in the location to reduce transportation and installation costs. When we have all that figured out we will go to the location, install the equipment and test it.

That sums up our process for getting projects done and I hope that brings more clarity into how exactly your contributions help us.

Pending the necessary approval, we are on track to start our first project - a solar installation on the Larsen Ridge backcountry cabin. This would allow an illuminating LED lighting setup and potential for a heated toilet seat in the outhouse!

If you are interested in participating in any way, please don't hesitate to email us at step3project@gmail.com or message us on Facebook or Instagram.

We look forward to having you Rep The Step with us!