Celebrating another milestone of the BP Solar Neighbors Program, special ceremonies at the St. George Hotel in L.A.'s Skid Row honored an effort started in 2003 to combine celebrity power with green innovations for communities in need.

"The St. George project is a perfect example of the great things that happen when government, community organizations, business and philanthropy work together," said Mayor Villaraigosa. "This is an innovative, creative project, and it's an exciting step both to making Los Angeles the greenest big city in America and to confronting our city's homelessness challenge."

The historic St. George, architecturally refurbished and re-opened in 2004, provides permanent supportive housing for formerly homeless residents and is one of several buildings owned and operated by Skid Row Housing Trust. It is the first West Coast multiunit site chosen as part of the BP Solar Neighbors Program which was established to help low-income families by lowering their utility expenses while avoiding environmental impact through the use of clean solar power.

"Enterprise has a long history of collaboration with the Skid Row Housing Trust. We've helped them develop architecturally realized residences that provide not only critical supportive services but a sense of pride and dignity that restores confidence and sustains recovery for people who are formerly homeless," said Jeff Schaffer, Enterprise Southern California director.

"We are proud to help add this green innovation to an already innovative refurbishment."

Through the program, BP donates a solar electric system to a low-income family when a celebrity purchases a system for installation. Over the years, BP and Enterprise have successfully installed solar systems on 42 low-income single-family homes in South Los Angeles and a similar multiunit building in New York City. In Los Angeles, the program also receives additional funding from the South Coast Air Quality Management.

"Many people perceive environmentally friendly practices as costly and available only to the wealthy," said Mr. Norton, the leading force behind the creation of the Solar Neighbors Program and grandson of Enterprise Co-Founder James Rouse.

"We need to expand our awareness of the many ways environmentally sustainable development and construction can apply to affordable housing. The installation of the BP solar panels on the St. George is a great example of a dynamic solution to our intensifying economic and environmental crisis."

After celebrity-sponsor Will Ferrell installed a BP Solar system on his home, an 8.4 kW system consisting of 48 solar panels was presented to the St. George. The system is expected to generate savings of approximately $2,000 annually in utility expenses for the Skid Row Housing Trust.

"Every home powered by solar energy helps us keep our air clean and helps to stop global warming. The BP Solar Neighbors' project has installed dozens of solar systems and demonstrated the benefits to homeowners of investing in this technology," said Los Angeles City Council President Eric Garcetti. "Now, the St. George Hotel project will demonstrate the feasibility of solar powering multi-family housing."

Through the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power's Solar Incentive Program, the project also benefits from $30,000 in rebates, which will be put back into the program to fund future solar installations.

"The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power is proud to be part of this historic renewable effort," said LADWP Chief Executive Officer and General Manager H. David Nahai. "It demonstrates our commitment to clean, renewable energy and expanding opportunities for low-income customers and communities. The LADWP has expanded its solar program, as well as its energy efficiency and is moving forward to having 20 percent of our energy from renewable sources by 2010."

"Through the BP Solar Neighbors Program, we are able to help low-income families reduce their energy bills and their impact on the environment through the use of solar power," said Geoff Slevin, vice president of sales and marketing for BP Solar. "We thank Will Ferrell for his commitment to a cleaner environment and for making possible the donation of the solar system to the St. George Hotel."

Skid Row Housing Trust is recognized as a national leader for its "housing first" concept that recognizes permanent supportive housing as a successful solution for the formerly chronically homeless. The Trust and its architects have won several awards for innovative designs.

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