Join Us for An Earth Week Celebration for Credit Unions
Wednesday April 21, 3:30-4:30pm ET
Inclusiv, in collaboration with UNFCU and OAS FCU, invite you to join us for an interactive Zoom event to celebrate Earth Week.
The first Earth Day took place on April 22, 1970 to mobilize citizens to take collective environmental action. Now, 51 years later, more than a billion people across over 190 countries mark the event each year as they continue to fight for environmental and climate change solutions.
As climate change continues to disproportionately impact low-income communities and communities of color, the Inclusiv Center for Resiliency and Clean Energy, the United Nations Federal Credit Union, and the Organization of American States Federal Credit Union have been building a network of credit unions committed to jointly designing and scaling climate change, resiliency, and sustainability solutions, with a goal of promoting affordable and sustainable energy for all people.
Join us on Wednesday, April 21st for this fun, interactive event. You’ll have the opportunity to:
- Hear about sustainability initiatives happening in credit unions
Connect in small groups with others in the credit union space working on sustainability and green lending - Learn how your credit union can get involved in the United In Sustainability (UIS) Credit Union Network to share best practices, obtain key tools, and lead industry action
- Learn about Inclusiv’s new Solar Lending Professional Training and Certificate program and receive the application link (currently available free of charge!)
We hope to see you there!
Green Finance Update: Solar Energy Training and Certificate Program guides 36 institutions in developing solar lending programs
One in four households struggle with high energy costs. But when consumers and businesses invest in renewable energy, the environment benefits and people become more energy independent. The Inclusiv Center for Resiliency and Clean Energy and the Center for Impact Finance at the University of New Hampshire's Carsey School of Public Policy offer consumer and commercial solar lending training tracks. Targeting lending practitioners at credit unions, MDIs, CDFIs, and community banks, the training prepares and guides community-based lending institutions seeking to offer solar financing.
- Thirty-six institutions have completed the program since November 2020, gaining practical application skills and tools needed to design and implement solar lending programs. They've gained access to a network of peers and learned best practices to help develop solar loan products.
- Graduates receive ongoing support after course completion to help develop solar loan products, collaborate with other institutions to provide solar financing, and deploy loans or investments.
- The consumer lending track is giving lenders the practical application skills and tools needed to design and implement solar lending programs.
- The commercial lending track is teaching lenders the larger context of electricity generation, transmission, and distribution and how regulations and incentives shape opportunities for commercial solar development.
- Apply for upcoming training sessions in consumer lending (May 5 to June 23) and commercial lending (Sept 16 to Nov 4) here.