Each year, the Honnold Foundation works alongside our Partners to showcase the power of solar through the lens of personal vignettes: from tackling illegal mining in the Amazon, to building energy equity and climate resilience in some of the most polluted and historically marginalized communities in the United States. Our films are like our grants— co-created from the ground up, empowering communities to share and expand their work to global audiences as authentically as possible.

RIVER OF THE SPIRITS

Can dreams and stories from Indigenous cosmology point the way toward a thriving future?

In the Amazon, the Achuar people of Ecuador are uniting ancient wisdom and modern technology in order to defend their territory, their culture, and our planet. They are demonstrating that oil development, mining, deforestation, and cultural devastation are not inevitable.

River of the Spirits follows a group of Achuar, the leaders of Honnold Foundation partner Kara Solar, who are building unprecedented technical skills and alliances, creating a solar revolution to help them to save the Amazon and preserve their culture.

Currently in post-production, this feature film will be released publicly in 2025.

OUR CHILDREN’S RIVER

Across the Amazon, Indigenous guards are unarmed patrols that peacefully defend ancestral territories against threats like oil, mining and poaching. They use diverse technologies to monitor their lands, and when necessary, force out illegal operations and actors. Most of this daily work, which involves lengthy hikes and patient observation, goes unseen. This film depicts the process of the Indigenous Guard: its patrols, its watchful vigilance over the landscape, and its support of the community. Their work as guards helps ensure that destruction in the Amazon doesn't advance, and that their community has the vital space it needs to live life on their own terms.

KEEP THE LIGHTS ON

In South Memphis, residents pay up to 25% of their monthly income on their energy bills, affecting their ability to pay rent, afford medical care, and feed their families. But what if those energy costs could be minimized, or even eliminated? Join Memphis Rox’s Jarmond Johnson, Alex Honnold, and the Honnold Foundation team as they explore how solar energy can help communities like Memphis keep the lights on.

PEOPLE, POWER, AND THE SUN

In 2019, the Honnold Foundation team visited Adjuntas, Puerto Rico to meet with Casa Pueblo's leadership team along with other community leaders. We immediately realized that their collective vision for a more sustainable future and commitment to serving one another could catalyze a movement that would extend beyond a solar installation.

The microgrid is owned and managed by community leaders who, in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, stepped forward when they were needed the most. Their small businesses are much more than storefronts— they’re vital community gathering spaces and places of refuge for the entire town.

SOLAR POWERED DETROIT

35% of Detroit lives beneath the poverty line and residents pay some of the highest electricity rates in the country. Learn about the work of Reverend Joan Ross’s mission to provide 1.000 low-income homes with solar energy.

OFF THE GRID

From the archives— the early days of the Honnold Foundation. Off The Grid tells the story of how the Rangers of the Mukutan Conservancy in Kenya patrol 90,000 acres of land completely off the grid. Portable power is the only solution for charging flashlights and radios, invaluable tools for patrolling and protecting the Mukutan Conservancy.