(Local jobs + clean energy + employment-oriented education + state support. Why isn’t this happening everywhere? – promoted by michael horan)

I have the privilege of representing Southbridge on the Southern Worcester County Regional School Committee. Like most school systems in the Commonwealth we are always looking for ways to reduce costs but to improve education.  The Bay Path Vocational School has a reputation for excellence in everything that she does and turning to sustainable energy is no exception.  The vision came from the superintendent David Papagni a few years back to harness the great wind power that we have on the hill in Charlton where the school is located.  It would seem we have a sustained wind about 300 days of the year.

After much research and planning approval has been given to start the process to install a wind turbine on the campus of the school.  

This multi-million dollar project, funded through grants and other programs from the State will remove the school from “the grid” and provide enough electricity to power the school and make a little profit for the school in the years to come.  The turbine is projected to save the school hundreds of thousands of dollars each year it is in operation.  One of the reasons we chose the turbine company that we did is the company is looking to move part of their manufacturing process to Fitchburg brining those jobs here to Massachusetts.  That was a deal clincher for me!  It is the hope that this project will be an example to other school systems of can be done if a little thought is put into it.  I believe that any new school that is built in the Commonwealth should have to include “Green” energy and not just continue in the same direction we have in the past.  If we break the cycle now the future will be brighter.

Another project the school has begun is the energy house that is being built with a grant from National Grid.  With an increase in use and an increase in the desire for sustainable energy in the area the need for qualified technicians will be great.  Bay Path is a head of the curve in planning for the future with the creation of an energy house that not only will be a showplace of solar, wind, and geothermal but will also train the next generation of students on how to build and maintain these systems once they have been installed. Ground has been broken and the freshmen and sophomore classes are building this house literally from the ground up and hope to have the house online by the summer.  The students are learning first hand the value of sustainable energy and will able to bring that knowledge into the workplace.  These are the types of programs we need to encourage in the Commonwealth.  These are not difficult they just require us to think outside the box.

Education programs at the school will need to be created an approved but the hope is these will be able to be launched soon.  These are just two examples of what can be done if we apply green thinking to our local economy.  With a little support and encouragement from local leaders, and that means more “Greens” need to be elected to local office, these programs can become realities in all of the communities across the Commonwealth.