Company office to be powered by solar energy
Boston, Mass. - Thomson Safaris has recently embraced solar energy to provide power for its US office.
A glinting array of 110 solar panels is being installed over the roof of the award-winning safari company's headquarters, which is located in a historic building in Watertown, Massachusetts. Eventually, the solar panels will produce up to 2,500 kilowatt hours per month, providing up to a third of the office's electrical usage. The panels will also provide energy for Thomson's adjoining sister company, Thomson Family Adventures.
"We have a personal interest in alternative energy," said the company's co-founder and director, Rick Thomson. "We feel fortunate to be able to do this and to help in some small way in reducing emissions."
The solar panels are part of Thomson Safaris' efforts not only to make their safaris and operations in Tanzania eco-friendly but also their home base. Earlier in 2008, Rick Thomson, a one-time safari mechanic, converted an automobile's fuel system into using exclusively electric power. Thomson now regularly drives the electric vehicle to work.
"We all need to learn to exercise conservation and consider the impact of our actions," said Thomson. "It is not just about a particular frog, or fish or bird and a certain habitat; it is about the whole ecosystem of the planet being in jeopardy."
For Thomson Safaris, solar energy is nothing new. In fact, the US office is only following the lead of other solar initiatives it had started in East Africa years ago. For example, all of Thomson Safaris eco-friendly camps, which are located at some of the most famous national parks in the world, use solar panels to provide lighting. Gibb's Farm, one of the luxury eco-lodges at which Thomson travelers regularly stay, has one of the largest solar panel arrays in Tanzania. The company recognizes that these are all small efforts that hopefully add up to help preserve both Tanzania's pristine habitats and the environment around its US home base.
Thomson Safaris
Our Home. Your Adventure.