Antioch’s teaching forest, Glover’s Ledge, sits on 81 acres of conserved land in Langdon, New Hampshire. The forest is home to four hundred species of wildlife and vegetation: red-tailed hawks, snowshoe hares, coyote, white-tail deer, black bear, red and gray fox, wood frogs, red-spotted newts, a tremendous variety of songbirds, and dozens of species of tree, shrub, and wildflower. Today, the forest is also home to an impressive, 146kW ground-mounted solar array.
With this project, Antioch is not just investing in solar energy production, it is also working to provide an example of how institutions can implement their ideals concretely. “We are hoping this solar array serves as a resource that we can use to educate the broader community about the benefits of solar and why solar energy is an important part in combating climate change,” explains Kate Witte, a graduate student in the Environmental Education concentration in the MS in Environmental Studies program in New England.
The builders, ReVision Energy, calculate that the array’s 360 panels will generate over 180,000 kilowatt-hours of energy annually, offsetting 281,000 pounds of carbon pollution every year. This is equivalent to planting over 2,100 trees or removing 28 gas-powered cars from the road. As ReVision Energy co-owner and Director of Community Solar Initiatives Jude Nuru ’19, ’20 (Antioch New England, MS, PhD in Environmental Studies) says, “Incorporating the ground-mounted solar array into the landscape at Glover’s Ledge is a thoughtful integration of critical electricity production, environmental stewardship, and ecosystem protection.”
With this project, Antioch is providing another example of how a commitment to environmental justice can create healing connections that bridge environment and community.
