Growing Mount Diablo with some Local Hero(es)
Mount Diablo High School in Concord, CA is one of the latest PG&E Solar Schools Projects, and they had a bright idea…to place their 1kW installation in the heart of a working garden.
There was only one problem…the former site had a whole lot of sand, tired dirt, and needed a nutrient boost. The PG&E Solar Schools Program supplied the organic soil amendment, aptly titled “Local Hero”…and our teacher hero, Mrs. Sandy Johnson-Shaw, rallied her team with a great plan… The next step was to get new soil, and she organized her classroom for the delivery and subsequent dig. In a couple of months, we’ll see the plants and 1kW system grow out of this fertile ground…and we expect great ideas on sustainability, health, and energy to sprout with the latest additions to the outdoor learning environment Concord.
Here’s what one of the Mount Diablo High School students had to say:
“Thank you so much for your help getting us soil so we could continue with our goal of developing and outdoor learning classroom. On 3/9/07 we helped Mrs Johnson-Shaw move the dirt and begin making our rows to plant. At the end of the day we had our garden and the next day we worked to plant our propagated seeds. Our garden is on its way producing and we are enjoying classroom learning outside. It is our plan to use the garden as a tool to teach our younger peers about nutrition and sell our products to our on campus resturant and the hospital across the street, John Muir-Concord Campus. Again, thank you for you help in getting soil and reaching our goal.”Justin Shields, Student.