Will Eley of PEA interviewing Beth Bealle of Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest NC. Beth is the Director of Philanthropy Stewardship & Engagement at Second Harvest and co-chairs the organization’s Sustainability Committee–the “Green Team.”
WE: Beth Bealle! Thank you so much for taking the time to sit down with us today. Many of our PEA members are familiar with Second Harvest as our 2023 Green Business of the Year award-winner, but tell us a bit more about your central mission and the impetus behind the creations of Second Harvest’s “Green Team.”
BB: Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest NC is the regional food bank for 18 counties in Northwest North Carolina, with services stretching from Boone to Burlington. Working with our community and partners, we strive to increase food security and create pathways that build a stronger region, toward a vision of food secure and healthy communities. Our core belief is EVERYONE DESERVES TO EAT.
The Second Harvest Sustainability Committee launched fully in Spring 2021, as plans for our new headquarters facility in Whitaker Park were taking shape. At its core, food banking is a community-based solution to food insecurity and food waste. Simply through Second Harvest’s daily work (going strong since 1982), tons of good food and household products are “rescued” from disposal in the landfill. The Sustainability Committee seeks to extend Second Harvest’s efforts even further, with a keen focus on environmental and economic stewardship. Known as the “Green Team,” this cross-departmental Committee is small but mighty and is leading and/or supporting a variety of activities and initiatives to continue “greening” the food bank.
WE: So many area students–and even mid-career professionals–are trying to find impactful places in our local and global economies, and your career arc is another example of what’s possible in the Piedmont Triad. Could you tell our readers about how you became a sustainability leader in our community?
BB: Following my 20-year career with a financial services company in the for-profit sector, I wanted to better serve the community through a position in the non-profit sector. Landing at Second Harvest Food Bank was just the right opportunity to marry my experience, skills and talents with my passion for food stewardship – believing there is enough food for all and curbing food waste as part of the solution. Fast forward to now… I’ve had wonderful opportunities during my “encore” career to have a positive impact on food security and sustainability in the 18-county region Second Harvest serves, echoing the value of my alma mater, Wake Forest University: Pro Humanitate. (PS – Go Deacs!)
WE: I appreciate speaking to your “encore” career. In this climate-action era, so many folks that we engage with via our Triad Green Job Center are looking to do much the same. My green pathway has been filled with lots of loops and detours, beginning my career in the film industry before a pivot towards academia and then environmental policy. As I reiterate to many PEA green-career mentees: you have more transferable skills than you think; and there is a major need for passionate folks in the rapidly expanding green economy. And as you and your colleagues have proven, any job can be a green job, by organizing initiatives internally and externally, big and small.
On that big, green initiative theme, tell us more about the moral and economic rationale behind Operation Solar Harvest. As fellow co-conspirators on that project, talk us through that glorious, winding road.
BB: As I often remark, “the sun always shines on Second Harvest.” With that in mind, we recently announced our investment in a 1MW rooftop solar array at our new headquarters facility in Winston-Salem. This installation will be the largest of its kind in Forsyth County and one of the largest in North Carolina, projected to save Second Harvest an estimated $100,000+ annually in electricity costs and approximately $5 million cumulatively over 30 years.
The launch of this big, green project – dubbed Solar Harvest – is the culmination of our 18+ month partnership with you and Piedmont Environmental Alliance, to include considerable research for a solar installer that landed us with NC-based Renu Energy Solutions. This significant investment is possible because Second Harvest is eligible to receive up to 50% of the $1.5 million project cost back from federal tax credits via the Inflation Reduction Act, with additional funding being sought from grantors with a particular commitment to environmental stewardship and sustainable operating practices.
And, the stars aligned perfectly for the launch of Solar Harvest alongside the launch of Solarize the Triad, a public-private coalition leading a group purchasing program aimed at making solar energy more affordable for local homeowners, businesses, and nonprofits in the region. Second Harvest is proud to be part of the Solarize the Triad Steering Committee that’s bringing this community-based project to life.
Stay tuned – we hope to “flip the switch” on Solar Harvest in early- to mid-year 2025.
If you are interested in a green career, and want to learn more firsthand from green professionals in our community like Beth, join our Green Career Network here
For more information about Solarize the Triad, please send an email to will@peanc.org with “Solarize The Triad” in the subject line OR visit solarizethetriad.com to register for a free solar evaluation.