Solar Sheep

Last month the Saint Michael’s Natural Area welcomed some new temporary guests for the summer! A flock of sheep has been deployed to meander the solar field, mowing the space in a natural and sustainable way! Our school partners with a Vermont farming company called Agrivoltaic Solutions, contracted by our solar partner, Encore Renewable Energy, which works across the state to share this alternative mowing opportunity.

Each summer they bring us a herd of sheep that will graze the solar field. They arrive for a week or so two or three times a summer. This practice of sheep grazing solar fields has been increasing in popularity all over the country in recent years. It is a wonderful way to be more environmentally friendly, rather than using fuel-powered mowers. Additionally, it works to support farmers, creating revenue within the farming industry. It allows farmers to use their livestock to support sustainable practices, make money, and feed their livestock, all while helping a local organization maintain their solar fields! Connecting our students, values, and community to this “stacking of functions”, a phrase borrowed from the practice of permaculture, is just one way we model what we mentor in our students and programming at the operational level of the college. Added bonus, we get to host some adorable fluffy friends! If you have a second this summer, swing over to the Natural Area and say hi to our solar sheep. Turn right up to the teaching pavilion and you can’t miss them!

Edits & Contributions from the Leahy Graduate Assistant Team