It’s been a quiet couple of weeks on the blogging front. Our schools are returning to the classrooms, installations are moving through the permitting process, a new round of teachers are being trained, and a couple of our grant programs recently closed. We hope you all are doing well in your respective energy corners planting and growing your respective seeds.

Several folks from our immediate and extended team were at Solar Power 2007 this week. It was exhilirating. I attended my first solar power conference in 1996…when the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), Utility Photovoltaic Group (UPVG, which is now Solar Electric Power Association) called their annual meeting Soltech. So many acronyms, and so little time…and how time has passed. We have grown from hundreds of interested parties to over 10,000…the US still has some catching up to do with our fellow European and Japanese counterparts, but I remain optimistic… The industry, and so many of us in it, have come so far. There were no birkenstocks or tie dye (not that there’s anything wrong with birkenstocks or tie dye), but the soul of the solar industry lives on and is grounded at the intersection of environmental and business opportunities. We participated with colleagues from NEED, Honeywell, Heliotronics, Pleasanton Unified School District, the Rahus Institute, SolarCity, and the Missouri Schools Going Solar Program in a Solar Schools Workshop on the 24th of September. A comment from Clayton Handleman, our colleague at Heliotronics, was actually the inspiration for the title of this post. As solar moves more into every day life, he shared that he is pleased to still see the passion/soul of solar living on…and growing…and so are we.

As for highlights – well, for me, it was Ted Turner. I aspire to be as cantankerous and fired-up at ~70 as Mr. Turner…and it was great to see so many big and new players playing in the solar field with us.

Ted shared that he feels personally responsible as a father and grandfather to leave a world that is livable…and that global warming, if left unchecked, will kill humanity. He said that we need to move at warp speed to stop our fossil fuel use… His sense of humor, albeit perhaps politically incorrect in some circles, was irreverent and invigorating. After making several serious comments, he throws a comment in such as, “It’s serious as hell for the polar bear right now…”

He made a few light remarks that are a comment on our culture…more people watch the cartoon network than CNN… But…one point was really clear…he said that the superpowers of tomorrow will have a focus on education, and not the military…and our collective work is more important than ever.

There are a couple of great podcasts here:

• http://www.renewableenergyaccess.com/rea/news?section=podcast
• http://energypriorities.com/entries/2007/09/solarpower2007_gateway.php

In the next couple of days/weeks, we have several great stories to share…and a couple of new partnerships announced. We also now have rewards for those brave souls out there that are willing to share their stories…so send ‘em in!

Big things can happen even in small towns when small projects are undertaken by strong leaders…here’s the story of how a couple of solar seeds took root in Illinois…the after school club is not what it used to be as you’ll see…

Story submitted by Katie Kizer. Warren and Apple River, IL

Perceptions of after-school clubs tend to range depending on the nature of the organization, the individuals involved, their respective motivation to encourage productivity, and the personality of the school itself. The traditional understanding of these organizations is that students can join a group of personal interest to them and feel an extended sense of community beyond everyday classes.

One could argue that after-school clubs have a certain substandard reputation in American society when it comes to the “cool” thing for students to do within our public schools. Attempting to demonstrate this point with examples would be counterproductive based on the previously mentioned relativity. I do, however, argue that the face of these clubs has begun to change at the local level, specifically in the Warren Community Schools.

There are also those clubs and organizations which often credit their high turnout and competition among leadership to the pressure to be in good standing on the pages of college applications. What I want to bring to light is that a new generation of card-carrying members of school clubs has surfaced, and it is far from the cliché standard of student council and formal dance committees. In the Warren Community School District #205, an Energy Club has emerged, headed by Pam Phelps, and it has been generating a new breed of student activists.

With the assistance of the Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation, the Foundation for Environmental Education, Commonwealth Edison, and the National Energy Education and Development project (NEED), two solar installations have been carried out at two different schools in the district.

Warren Elementary has a 1KW Photovoltaic system.

Apple River Middle School uses a 2KW system.

These two installations represent one large project that has changed the approach to learning among the members of both the Energy Club and science classes. According to Gail Heidenreich, Secretary at Apple River Middle School, these solar PV systems have allowed the “kids to learn a lot, but they are also teaching others what they have learned.” At such young ages, it is wonderfully refreshing to see students embracing renewable energy and even taking an interest in teaching others about what they have discovered.

In a district with a general population of less than 2,000 people, all it takes is one movement of individuals, regardless of age, to turn to one another and start a discussion about saving energy. This can affect each and every person in a community, especially in one such as Warren where education is so highly valued.

Once such a discussion has transpired, learning and inspiration to teach others supercedes the formal education process. This is because the message of helping the environment can transcend both grade levels and even school walls into the general community. Warren, Apple River, and the Energy Club that unites these schools are fundamental building blocks of this progression.

A major element of the mission as stated by Warren School District #205 is that they “believe that education is a combined effort of home, school, and community; and that all students have the capability to learn.” These solar school projects epitomize this message based on the positive repercussions that have been relayed by the faculty and community.