Greenscool, a non-profit organization that installs renewable energy systems and educates children in impoverished schools around the world, recently completed its first initiative: The Guaymas Project, in the municipality of Guaymas, Mexico.

In early January, a group of seven Americans drove 2,500 miles to Guaymas, a 100,000-person port town on the Sea of Cortez in the Mexican state of Sonora. Immediately upon arriving, they began to salvage solar panels from a defunct street-lighting project in the affluent retirement community of San Carlos. They then repurposed the panels on the south-facing roof of the Vicente Guerrero de Guaymas Primary School in Fatima, a nearby barrio that had been built on a dump thirty years earlier.

Antonio Astiazaran Gutierrez, the mayor of Guaymas, commemorated the project in a public ceremony attended by schoolchildren, local dignitaries and the media. “This is for the children,” said Gutierrez. “In a place like Fatima, they are just beginning to think about things like renewable energy. Having the solar panels on the roof will affect the children’s consciousness.”

While creating a renewable energy source for the barrio school was an objective of the project, “Energy production was not the main goal,” said Michael Miller, Greenscool’s Executive Director. “The [solar panel] system is a tool. It’s a trigger to start a conversation.”

Part of that conversation involved Mexico’s state-owned electric monopoly. The Comision Federal de Electricidad (Federal Electricity Commission, or CFE), which controls and develops the national electric industry, has been slow to embrace renewable energy. As The Guaymas Project sought permission to tie the Fatima solar panel systems to the grid, it initiated a discussion within CFE regarding renewable energy initiatives.

“The [solar panel installation] is starting something in our city,” said Pedro Luis de Borquez Antillon, Director of Water and Sewer Utilities for the Municipality of Guaymas. “It’s the first solar panel system we have, so it’s starting consciousness in our kids. More important, it’s starting something in our power company. They are afraid of renewable energy, but now they are going to have to change.”

While Miller focused on negotiations with CFE, other members of Greenscool worked on the educational component of the project. “The ‘ah-ha’ moment occurred when the kids understood that the solar panels on their roof would be producing clean power,” said Mati Gershater, Greenscool’s Co-Director and, together with Jennie Gershater, the project’s education director. “It was a transfer of responsibility: we planted the seed, and they’re going to water it.”

The group documented the project on their website, www.greenscool.org, using video, writing and photography. They are currently finishing the documentation from their various homes in Jackson, Wyoming; Bozeman, Montana; and Sun Valley, Idaho.

“When you photograph kids in impoverished areas, you discover a sense of honesty,” said Kina Picket, Greenscool’s Co-Director and the project’s photographer. “Everything has been stripped away. They have no mask, and nothing to hide. That’s where the beauty lies.”

The project has garnered significant national exposure. It was featured on Patagonia’s blog and Wend Magazine’s website.

Communication Director Christian Beckwith’s (former Alpinist editor) writing about the project is being syndicated on The Huffington Post.

Videos, blogs and photography from The Guaymas Project may be downloaded and redistributed from www.greenscool.org. For more information, contact Greenscool Executive Director Mike Miller at michael@tetonpower.com.

Suddenly “small case” (my son Wesley who we refer to as “w” thus “small case”) stops mid-stride. “Shhhhhh,” he whispers. “This is where the bear lives,” he says to me in a very concerned and hushed tone. We are looking into a grove of trees and Wesley is using his imagination to conjure up a story to tell his mom when we get back home.

“Hmmm, yes, I think I see it…” I whisper back. “No, Daddy, he’s over there.” Wesley is pointing 180 degrees from where I am looking.

This is why I love going on walks in the woods with Wesley. He points out things both imaginary and real that I may not take the time to notice. Since he is a little under three-years-old, the pace is slower and definitely not in a straight line while walking.

We look at bugs, squirrels and birds. He calls a crow, “caw-caw” since that is the noise he associates with the bird. We talk about how big the trees are and where the animals live, eat and sleep.

When I came to this trail before Wesley was born, my wife and I would either be running or mountain biking connecting one trail to another working on our speed and form. I never took the time to ponder the holes in the trees and what is going on in the homes behind the holes. Wesley has helped me stop and smell the pine needles.

We watch the dogs and Wesley decides to chase them. Flynn decides that Wesley needs to be herded and starts “working” Wesley so he will slow down. Wesley knows the game and starts to zig zag and laugh. Flynn and Blue take off ahead and Wesley makes a high pitched scream that substitute for his whistle.

“Flynn, Blue come on boys…” Wesley yells. The dogs are beginning to heed Wesley’s commands due to the understanding they have worked out at the dinner table (which also explains why the dogs are a little overweight for this time of year).

As we all head back to the trailhead Wesley looks up at me and says “Good job Daddy, good hike!!”

Yes it was and I look forward to more with small case.

JedZilla is a realtor, outdoorsman, father based in Missoula, Montana.

He has pledged to donate the $10,000 prize he received for the honor to First Descents.This prize money will allow at least 10 participants to programs in the summer of 2009!

Cloudveil and Backbone Media’s Sarah Hubbard knows Brad from when she served as First Descents camp director for a week of climbing here in Jackson Hole. Hubbard says it was the highlight of her summer.

Ludden’s dream inspired some people at Backbone Media and small group of committed Vail locals to help Brad start First Descents. What started as a one-week kayak camp in Vail has grown into nine camps, in three states, helping hundreds of young adults with cancer.

Because of his efforts (and hunkiness, no doubt), Ludden was chosen as Cosmopolitan’s Colorado Bachelor and yesterday, he was named Bachelor of the Year.

BACK UP, theres a lot to discuss here. Firstly, I’m saddened that my dream of a trans-arctic crossing has now been ruined. I was so looking forward to sub-zero temperatures, weeks of staring at only the same barren landscape and feeding frozen herrings to my team of fearless sled dogs. Darn. Secondly, lets be honest, this is scary stuff. The North Pole being gone is a big deal, but I’m talking about how scary it is that scientists are making bets on which global landmark will disappear next. Really? You’re that bored? That takes dark comedy to a whole new level. On the other hand, I guess we all need some inter-office antics and I’m glad the guys attempting to save our planet have a sense of humor. Thirdly, and I think I speak for children and holiday gift makers the world over when I say, WHAT THE HELL IS GOING TO HAPPEN TO SANTA? I fear that all of the books, stories, toys, and holiday junk with North Pole references or fairytale North Pole maps may become obsolete due to the web savvy of today’s toddlers. They will now be questioning the existence of Santa with CNN global warming statistics rather than skepticism about daddy looking just a little bit too much like the big man in red. What is the world coming to?

Someone should inform the web gurus at this North Pole animation site that they are out of a job. And for the sake of the kids, maybe CNN should release a story on how Santa and the elves had to move their workshop overseas to cut down on production costs.

Click here for the FULL STORY

If you’ve read enough and you are more of a visual learner like me, try watching the NORTH POLE WEB CAM. Oh yeah, thats right, you can actually watch it melt if you want. Run by NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration), the site captures images taken every two hours, so unless the pole melts away between shots, you could potentially be able to watch the pole disappear from the comfort of your own home. Popcorn anyone?
Here is a photo from Monday- Looks fine to me.

Everyone told us from the start – “Having a kid changes your life.” We knew it was true, but we were ready for the challenge. I mean, it’s a change for the better, right? A year later – with a one year old we adore – we get the picture.

Of course it’s a change for the better, but let’s not kid around – life isn’t the same, especially for the likes of my husband and I, living the “good life” here in Jackson.

Every weekend: skiing, hiking, backpacking, fishing, biking and traveling. That’s our thing, and like everyone else we know, that’s why we live here. That’s also where the kid thing starts changing things.

Sure, it’s easy enough to trade off kid responsibilities and still get out there, but that’s not really the point. We like to do it together and spend time with our kid too.

That’s when the idea of the pop-up camper came into the scene.

We’ve seen some other families toting them around and it always made us snicker. Camper … RV … sure seems like a slippery slope to becoming non-outdoorsy, middle-aged, overweight Americans who wear fanny packs.

But with summer rolling around and the mountains and rivers beckoning, we started to warm up to the idea.

Weekends away – out there, anywhere – the three of us enjoying what we love most about this place. And with the perks of pack & play space, a fridge for milk, a heater for the 30-degree nights and a “home base” for meltdowns or emergencies.

So we made a trip to the RV park in Shelley, Idaho to “check it out” and the next thing we knew we were proud owners of the “Flaggstaff” – a 10-foot pop-up, the smallest thing on the lot.

As I told everyone I knew – it fell squarely into the category of “becoming that which you never though you’d be.”

We’ve headed out in it about a half dozen times this summer and I can say definitively: no regrets.

Our weekends of choice are to drive maybe two hours north or two hours south of town and plop ourselves down next to one of the many amazing rivers of the area.

We fish together, hike around, play hide and seek in the camper, nap, check out the area – all on our own schedule without the logistical nightmare that goes along with doing anything with a kid.

On our last trip, our son interrupted a serious fishing session with cries of “Ba, Ba” (his word for everything), pointing to the sky. He alerted us to the presence of a massive bald eagle doing some fishing of his own from above.

Pretty cool. He’s a pretty lucky kid.

And we are happy new members of the RV nation. Go figure.