Energy committee holds pollinator workshop, more coming

Rebecca Foster, Charlotte Energy Committee

People eager to feed and protect the pollinators in our gardens, neighborhoods and town convened at the library on a beautiful May 21 morning for our pollinator workshop.

Photo by Rebecca Foster. Marc and Pearl Richter add to a mural art project kicking off a summer of workshops.
Photo by Rebecca Foster. Marc and Pearl Richter add to a mural art project kicking off a summer of workshops.

Bees are not only helpful in stabilizing our food systems, they also play a crucial role in balancing an ecological system that sequesters carbon in the plants and soil. Wildflowers — or bee food — have proven to be an excellent partner with solar panels located on meadows. Where there is one, there should be the other.

To see this pairing in action, visit the solar-compost shed between Charlotte Central School and the trail to Pease Mountain.

Use the free outlet powered by the solar panel to charge your phone, yard tool battery or electric bike while you stop for a picnic amid the emerging wildflowers. A poster inside the shed explains how the solar system provides us with free-from-the-sun electricity.

Stay tuned for more news this summer from the solar shed.