EDITED: Prince: Solar Power Through the Purple Rain?

It is one year since the musician Prince died and the Camden-based environmental charity 10:10 Climate Action is using his legacy to bring free and eco-friendly energy to six other charities around the country.

“Between the anniversary of Prince’s death (April 21) and his birthday on June 7 we’re fundraising to put solar on the roofs of organisations fighting for the causes he believed in,” says the campaign website, which set a goal of raising £50,000.

Prince was chosen as the face of the campaign because after his death it was revealed that he had secretly donated money for solar panels through the Californian charity Green For All.

Van Jones, a CNN political commentator and close friend of Prince, said that “there are people who have solar panels right now on their houses in Oakland, California that don’t know Prince paid for them.”

Organisers of the London project say they considered buying purple solar panels to honour the late star but decided to save money and buy more panels by sticking to standard blue.

The charity 10:10 was established in 2009 in north London and aims to tackle climate change through small community projects that have the potential to expand.

Starting with A Mural

The crowdfunding effort was launched with a mural dominated by Prince’s face on the back gates of the Electric Ballroom on Kentish Town Road, where Prince played a secret hour-long show in February 2014. It is just a short walk from the Camden Town Underground station but among the vast amount of street art in Camden it is easy to overlook this special piece, let alone the fact that it shows solar cells radiating from behind Prince’s head.

Why start a charity fundraiser this way? Daniel Jones is from the 10:10 charity behind the mural. “It is a really strong visual representation and focal point for the story behind Prince’s support for solar power. At the location there is info on the campaign itself which will give people a chance to see what it’s all about.” The low-key location and the visual focus of the piece demonstrate how charities are turning to social media for exposure.

Located near the Underworld and the Devonshire Arms metal pub known to regulars as “the Dev”, this littered driveway is part of Camden’s artistic and musical heart.

“As a Camden-based charity it’s good to do something that connects our work to the history of music in the area,” said Jones. “We’re a climate change charity and have done a load of work in the past to build public engagement with solar power – our solar schools project, for example, or work helping anti-fracking groups in Balcombe and Barton Moss go solar. So, when we heard Prince was into this too, we were delighted!”

The Charities

The solar panels will go to six charities and community projects which were selected after considering the causes and issues that prince supported through his own philanthropy. The only London charity to benefit is the LGBT+ helpline Switchboard. It was set up in 1974 with volunteers answering calls for five hours a day from a small room above a bookshop, and now offers a 24-hour service that handles 15,000 calls a year. Volunteers offer a friendly ear, and chat about everything from sexual health to coming out or finding the nearest LGBT+ bar.

Jones said solar power should be available to all and not just those who can afford it. “Raising money for solar is a lot harder in the UK than it used to be – our work with schools had to close because of Government cuts last year.” So while a pop legend maybe posthumously helping out, it is still up to community groups to try to free their least-funded causes from electricity bills and a costlier carbon footprint.

by Stewart Vickers @VickHellfire

 

 

 

 

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