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Community Corner

Solar From the Mouths of Babes

Educating and inspiring kids to have a green mindset is the key to building a better future.

In honor of Earth Day, EcoOutfitters hit the streets and partnered with Mercury Solar Systems for a school-wide presentation at the Brandeis School. Although the children had just come out of a few hours of state testing, they sat quietly, eager to learn more about this hot topic.

Educating and inspiring our children to be eco-conscious leaders with a sustainable, renewable mindset is the ultimate way to “pay it forward.” By equipping them with knowledge, they can go into the world with the tools to create and live in a cleaner, safer environment.

Our solar presentation was presented by Ben Waller of Mercury Solar on a “SMART Board,” which illustrated the increase in our world’s electricity demands perfectly. Our classrooms have advanced from blackboards to white boards to SMART boards in less than a decade. Although this shows huge progress in technology, if we do not
simultaneously further the source to power all this technology, we are actually looking at tremendous withdrawal. Our world cannot continue to advance unless the power sources driving our technologies advance with us!

The lessons passed onto the students were about the basics of carbon pollution, global warming and the growing challenge to meet energy demands; the implications from these teachings, we hope, will be profound. We discussed how most of the fuels that we use today come from limited resources and do damage to our environment. We talked about how 50 percent of our electrical energy is generated by coal combustion, which is the leading source of carbon pollution.

We also spoke about how global warming changes are visible via drastic weather patterns and polar ice melting. When we showed an image of a polar bear, whose homestead is rapidly disappearing, everyone gasped.

In a world where adults are driven by the “triple Ps” — price, policy, and then planet — it was interesting to note that our children have a clear vision and emotional attachment to the one “P” that matters most — our PLANET. The presentation concluded with a discussion on ways we can make a difference and make our world cleaner and brighter.

Ideas discussed were being more energy efficient, like turning off lights and computers when not in use, alternative ways to generate power (i.e., solar and wind), driving electric cars, or better yet, riding a bike. We discussed in depth the concept of collecting free sun rays and converting them into clean energy that can power our homes.

Our hope is that the day’s lessons will have longevity. Studying how solar energy works and its importance to our present and our future can easily be incorporated into everyday math, science, and ecology curriculum. Monitoring systems showing the day-to-day impact achieved by the solar panel installation can be viewed by students in their classrooms, intertwining environmental consciousness into every
activity.

At the end of the presentation, we wanted to hear the children’s perspective on the benefits of solar energy. As we expected, their ideas and notions shone quite brightly. They were open to and appreciative of such curriculum. Here’s what they had to say:

What does solar energy mean to you?

Solar energy means less pollution and less gas. This means saving the earth, and saving animals all over the world.
Solar is really cool!
Solar energy means getting power for free!
Solar energy is a costless way to provide energy and not pollute.
Solar energy means change. We are doing horrible things to our planet and we need a happier more secure environment.
Solar means smart energy to me.

What is the single most important reason for you to want to go solar?

Solar will help the earth.
Solar will save a lot of money for my parents.
Solar will prevent global warming.
Solar will stop polar bears from dying.
Solar will make my house magical when it snows.

What does “going green” mean?

Recycling
Making less pollution
Saving the world one step at a time
Keeping the earth clean and healthy
Not smoking or littering
Making the world healthier
Green = change, a new beginning

If you could color the world any color, what would it be?

Green — it’s the color of plants and trees and we need them to live.
Rainbow, because I would want the world to be colorful, bright and pretty.
Yellow, because it’s the color of sunlight and happiness and you need
to be happy to doing something successful.
Purple, because it’s dark and would suck up energy.

What is your hope for our planet? What would you do to help make the
world a cleaner and safer place to live?

No more bad people and no more garbage.
Be a better person and we will get a better planet.
Don’t use black gas but rather switch to solar and electric cars.
If everyone would recycle, we could build the world back up one step at a time, one can at a time.
My hope for the planet is that global warming will stop. I promise not to litter or pollute.
I am afraid we will run out of fossil fuels and be left with nothing to power us. We must use electricity wisely.
I would put more garbage pails and recycling pails and not sell water bottles.
I will use as little electricity as possible or go solar.
I would ride my bike instead of drive.

Not only did this knowledge-sharing experience afford us the opportunity to educate our children by leading by example, we hope that schools will realize the tremendous financial benefit, and students, teachers, and communities will be inspired to follow suit.

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