image by Caveman 92223

For 6 weeks a group of us here in Stockbridge, MA had worked to put on an event we called the Berkshire Extreme Green Expo and May 23rd was the big day. We were originally inspired by a vision for our county to be a net-zero energy community. The event consisted of several parts. First was a number of displays. One depicted the history of energy—from the big bang through to elemental energies of the earth, like vulcanoes and geysers, and yes, animals and humans too—to our county being one of the first in the US to have centralized electric power generation (hydro) towards future technological possibilities.

Another display showed examples of national and international pioneering projects: net-zero energy communities, like the city of Masdar that is being built near Abu Dhabi; projects like Teal Farm, which is a trail blazing experimental permaculture farm in Vermont; and passive houses in Europe, which do not need any external energy input.

We also showed short films, both about technological break-throughs as well as deeper philosophical context and background for being activists—Brian Swimme was represented, as was Duane Elgin and Mary Evelyn Tucker.

One of the most unexpected and mind-blowing parts was a children’s drawing project about What might be next? in communication, transport, energy production and housing. The ideas ranged from an animal translator to a flying highrise to a DNA transporter and an air-powered super-plane. Hopefully we will be able to scan them and put them online soon, they were so fantastic – a collection was displayed at MIT the following week, to inspire the inventors there!

As a culmination of the half day event, three of us wrote and performed a play, ‘Primal Energy’ about the human/ interior/ consciousness aspect of the change that needs to happen (as opposed to just changing technology). There was also a panel discussion with the topic ‘Creating a Manifesto for the future”. Apart from two members of our volunteer group, Ross Robertson from EnlightenNext magazine participated as well as Melissa Hoffman, owner of Teal Farm and member of the board of EnlightenNext.

You can watch the panel and the play on youtube: Enter Primal Energy in the search for the play and look up the panel here.

The turnout for the event was not as big as we had hoped, but the responses from those who came gave us a lot of confidence to keep thinking out of the box and share what it is we, as Andrew’s students, are in a prime position to give: The inexhaustible positivity of a worldview, in which human potential is as much part of a new energy discussion as is solar or wind, the larger evolutionary context which many ‘green’ thinkers are not familiar with yet, and the power of collectively going beyond what is known or comfortable.

We are very inspired to go further. On June 11 we have a follow up event to keep defining the Manifesto and to see how we can help to achieve the goal of a net-zero-energy Berkshires. We also want to develop the play, as this way of communication really seems to reach people. I will keep you all posted.