Energy Abounds at Grassroots Festival

JOHN FRIEL
Southeastern Pa. Correspondent

KEMPTON, Pa. — Alternative energy equaled high energy last weekend in Kempton, Pa., home of the third annual Pennsylvania Renewable Energy and Sustainable Lifestyle Festival.

Sponsored by the Mid-Atlantic Renewable Energy Association (MEREA), based in  Kutztown, the "energyfest,'' as locals and participants call it, was held Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 22 and 23, on the grounds and in the buildings of the Kempton Community Center. Indoors, a trade show with about 80 booths showcased goods and services aimed at those seeking greater energy independence or a more natural lifestyle. Outdoors, audiences filled white tents to hear over 100 presentations by speakers on topics ranging from sustainable agriculture to home solar hot water heaters to the evils of nuclear power.

The festival's theme was, "Sow the Seeds of Change." Keynote speaker Jeffrey Smith has followed up his best-seller "Seeds of Deception" with another book on the same subject: "Genetic Roulette: The Documented Health Risks of Genetically Modified Foods.''

Smith's audience, seated on rows of hay bales, filled the largest structure on the grounds, the main stage. He told them, "Given a choice, animals — rats, squirrels, deer, cows, pigs — avoid GM foods. It's my job to get the human race up to the level of animals.''

Festival co-founder Sam Yoder, a local veterinarian, said the event does not shy from controversy. "We hope people go away motivated, even angry,'' he said. "We're about self-empowering and educating people, culturally and environmentally."

The program urged attendees to ""Consider this festival like a walk in the forest, what you carry in, please carry out.'' Food vendors used biodegradable containers and utensils, and organizers set a target of recycling 75 percent of all waste generated. Smoking was discouraged, and most attendees drank from reusable Nalgene containers rather than disposable, single-serving water bottles. A local Toyota dealer raffled off a new hybrid vehicle.

Total attendance numbers were not available, but Yoder said the event drew 5,000 people last year and hopes were for an additional 2,000 this year. About 1,000 elementary school students came for an education day on Friday, so "it's almost a three-day festival,'' Yoder said.

Several presenters touted the benefits of biodiversity over monoculture cropping. Sandra K. Miller of Painted Hand Farm spoke on "Turning weeds into dollars with meat goats.'' She said a pasture full of weeds is actually healthier for goats than one with grass alone because it gives the animals ""a well-balanced diet."

Scott Singer, a USDA biologist, said a meadow of perennial native grasses can be harvested for fuel, builds topsoil, prevents runoff and, farmers report, "They're seeing wildlife they haven't seen in years. If you build it, they will come,'' he said. "If you provide good habitat, they'll show up."

Among the most popular exhibits were the many alternative-fuel vehicles, ranging from a 1916 Detroit Electric car to the latest Toyota Prius and beyond, to Penn State's hydrogen fuel-cell powered car. There was even Pennsylvania's first hybrid-powered school bus, which has just begun its first full year of service in Nazareth.

What were once oddities — solar panels for farm and home, wind turbines, biodiesel, super-insulated houses, green roof construction, hybrid vehicles — are rapidly becoming commodities. Of course, "alternative" energy has long been the only choice for some rural residents. Plain sect farmers have harnessed wind and water power for decades to bring water to homes and crops. Many now rely on air or hydraulic power to run machinery for wood and metal shops.

The phrase "off the grid" is shorthand for neighborhoods out of reach of public utilities, but a new grid is rapidly forming. It is a grid that promises benefits like energy independence, reduced greenhouse gas emissions, cleaner air and water, and a slowing of global warming.

Plans are already under way for next year's festival. Like its predecessors, Yoder said, it will be held to coincide with the fall equinox.

Summing up the Festival's mission, Yoder said, "We have (trade show) exhibitors from all sides of the political spectrum, but this is not political. This crosses all boundaries." He said politically conservative exhibitors tell him, "People have to realize, this is just business — good business."