Vashon Island will host its fifth annual solar tour on Saturday, Oct. 2, National Solar Day.

Vashon’s tour will include eight sites, all of which have solar panels installed to generate electricity. Some of the sites include other sustainable technologies, including passive solar, solar thermal and energy efficiency upgrades. The tour will kick off at Vashon High School, building B. JG Commons, the Land Trust Building and private homes, including the Island’s well-known Daffodil Barn, will also be on the tour.

This is a chance for Islanders to visit their neighbors who have solar, see it incorporated into a building and get inspired to make sustainable energy choices that help lower costs, support energy independence, protect against power outages and reduce carbon emissions, according to tour organizer Jason Wiliams of Artisan Electric.

Communities across the country will host their own tours on Oct. 2, and 160,000 people nationwide are expected to take part in what is the 15th annual national tour, sponsored by the American Solar Energy Society. The tour is always the first Saturday of October, which is National Energy Awareness Month. For more information on the national tour, see nationalsolartour.org.

For information about Vashon’s tour, including details about the sites and the classes offered, see www.vashonsolartour.org. Or contact Williams at 313-5863 or info@artisanelectricinc.com. The tour is free and runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

(This story corrects an announcement in The Beachcomber incorrectly stating the tour will be Oct. 3.)

Contact Vashon-Maury Island Beachcomber Reporter Susan Riemer at sriemer@vashonbeachcomber.com or 206-463-9195.

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