(Mission, Texas) – This summer, the National Butterfly Center^TM (NBC) will undergo a magnificent metamorphosis, converting the Chrysalis Visitor’s Pavilion to solar power, thanks to a donation of $88,842 from the Green Mountain Energy Sun Club. As a result, the center’s facilities will soon receive the majority of the energy required to operate from the sun—just like butterflies do.

With the addition of a 34.17 kilowatt rooftop solar system, NBC will cut its carbon footprint in half, allowing more resources to go toward saving butterflies thanks to the Sun Club^®. Established in 2002, the Sun Club is a nonprofit that helps other nonprofits achieve their goals by donating solar and sustainability projects, focusing on renewable energy, energy efficiency and resource conservation.

“The National Butterfly Center enriches our local community by protecting the beauty of our natural landscape and its inhabitants,” said Mark Parsons, president of Green Mountain Energy Sun Club. “Supporting like-minded organizations that have a strong commitment to resource conservation is why the Sun Club exists. We look forward to seeing the impact solar power has on the National Butterfly Center.”

A project of the North American Butterfly Association (NABA), the National Butterfly Center is focused on GROWING CONNECTIONS between people, plants and pollinators through environmental education and the conservation of native plant and butterfly species.

“Our goals are simple,” explains Marianna Trevino Wright, executive director of the National Butterfly Center, “We aim to save the planet by showing and telling people how important wild, free-flying butterflies are to the health of the Earth and all of humanity. Our commitment to natural resource conservation is so strong it practically dictates we should choose solar power to reduce our use of fossil fuels and decrease greenhouse gas emissions! We are privileged to work with the Green Mountain Energy Sun Club – as they fund our solar installation and equip us to become a powerful outreach and public education partner.”

Over the next several weeks, the NBC will be documenting their journey to sustainability with the Sun Club. The public is invited to visit the center to observe the process or follow us on Facebook to experience this remarkable transformation. Soon, the National Butterfly Center will be solar-powered, just like the butterflies. To learn more about the Sun Club or to apply for a sustainability donation, please visit www.GMESunClub.org.

The 100-acre habitat restoration project that is the NBC is one great, big, beautiful demonstration garden designed to showcase the diversity and functionality of native plants that provide critical breeding and feeding areas for butterflies and all our wildlife. To learn more, please visit www.nationalbutterflycenter.org, or call 956.583.5400.

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The National Butterfly Center is committed to ‘Growing Connections’ between people, plants, and the winged wonders that pollinate and propagate all that grows around us. We do this through educational and environmental initiatives that cultivate meaningful understanding of the processes that create sustainable ecosystems. Your annual membership or charitable gift impacts the beauty of our community and helps preserve the biologically diverse, natural treasures of deep South Texas.

Since its founding in 2002, the Green Mountain Energy Sun Club has donated more than $4 million to solar and sustainability projects focusing on renewable energy, energy efficiency and resource conservation in numerous communities in Texas and also in the Northeast. Contributions to the Sun Club® come from Green Mountain Energy Company’s residential customers in Texas, as well as from Green Mountain, its employees and other Sun Club supporters. Green Mountain’s customers are vital to the Sun Club mission of supporting local nonprofit organizations through solar and sustainability projects. To learn more about the Sun Club and to apply for a sustainability grant, please visit www.gmesunclub.org.