Student Poets are Solar Messengers
Solar panels shining
Electricity costs declining
Birds singing
A new era is beginning
by Easton White
DALC’s Clean Local Energy Alliance – Now! (CLEA-N) project has used a variety of approaches to assist area school districts in exploring ways to lower their energy costs and carbon footprints. For example, CLEA-N helped facilitate grant awards for the Dodgeville and Mineral Point school districts to have comprehensive energy assessments of their high school facilities. These assessments will be invaluable guides for reducing energy use and considering solar.
Besides technical and financial information, school boards need to be confident that community members are supportive of any energy use upgrades the board makes. CLEA-N’s Shine-On Solar Energy Slam contest aspired to help in that area. The goal of this poetry contest was to both educate and inspire students and the wider community about the benefits “rooftop” solar can bring to the district.
Students in the Dodgeville and Mineral Point middle and high schools were invited to submit a solar-themed poem and given the opportunity to win cash prizes. Fortunately, the teaching staff in Dodgeville was able to pair poetry writing with components of their curriculum. As a result, their students submitted over one hundred-eighty (180) poems! The timing for Mineral Point instruction schedules did not match as conveniently, so no entries came in from that school district.
CLEA-N supplied resource information concerning the sun, solar-voltaics, the surprising affordability of solar for non-profits like schools, and of course, the numerous environmental benefits. Volunteer readers enjoyed perusing and scoring a delightful variety of entries. (Thank You Volunteers!) Authors earned points for legibility, originality, and content concerning the benefits of solar. First, second and third place award winners received cash awards of $75, $50 and $25 respectively. Read the 1st place poems HERE.
DALC is grateful for the opportunity to engage with the upcoming generations. Their energy and creativity is an inspiration for us all to rededicate ourselves to maintaining and enhancing the health, diversity and beauty of this stunning landscape; it’s work that wouldn’t be possible without help from our dedicated supporters. Thank you; let’s continue to build that better world together.