Brad Zaporski

Brad Zaporski spent a decade running some of the world’s most powerful and remote rivers before settling in Telluride, Colorado. Those years along rivers ignited a desire to harness natural energy sources for the benefit of the environment, society and the economy. He has since been the largest developer of renewable energy resources in the San Juan region, playing a key role in developing over 12 megawatts of clean, renewable energy. Zaporski is known for helping develop hydro-generation using existing dams and legacy infrastructure from the mining boom of the late 1800s. He was also the winner of the 2013 Best Solar Collaboration Project from Solar Power Generation USA for, at the time it was built, the development of the nation’s largest community solar project. Zaporski continues to develop small distributed energy systems to benefit the communities in the San Juan region, including a ground-breaking whole-home efficiency and community solar program for low-income families, as well as several other micro-hydro projects. One of the things that makes him most proud is that he is the first person to be both a presenter at Mountainfilm's Moving Mountains Symposium and a festival volunteer.