The Grass Energy Collaborative [GEC] working paper was first shared in Dec. 2005 in Montpelier. Then it was shared at a meeting at Shelburne Farms in early January 2006 — just two years ago. Unexpectedly, President Bush mentioned “switchgrass” in this 2006 State of the Union speech. This really set up our already planned test burn of grass pellets at Shelburne Farms in Feb. 2006.

At the 2006 UVM/GIV Summer Camp, Jeff Forward suggested the Grass Energy Collaborative working paper to a camper or two from Mt. Abe High School. At the 2007 UVM/GIV Summer Camp, we built on this and actually had students making pellets from all sorts of things: grass, paper towels, algae etc. We did some more on this at the Winter 2008 UVM/GIV Weekend at Goddard College. Since then, the students have been on fire, lead by science teachers Tom Tailer, Mt. Abe, and Anne Watson of Montpelier.

If you are on Facebook, you can see how that tool is being used. Check out the group “VT High Schoolers March on Montpelier demanding a Carbon Neutral Future!”. It is very exciting to see how the students have looked into the ideas, made them their own, and are now running with them. It is their future after all.

At this point, over 26 self organizing VT High Schools are involved and about to march on the State House in Montpelier. This is a significant example of the power of the peer-to-peer organizational model to drive change.

In other news, the Grass Energy Collaborative has found a new and exciting home at the Biomass Energy Resource Center. This was jointly the idea of BERC’s new ED, Chris Recchia, Averill, Marshall and myself.

I hope you are as excited by all of this news as I am.

Be sure to check out what the 26 Vermont High Schools are marching for.

It would be great to see this replicated by students and teachers all over the world.

This is wonderful energy we should all support.

Jock

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