NOVEMBER 19, 2009 ISSUE
Mountain Alliance ‘Fuels’ Student Concern for Community, Environment
Mountain Alliance students strike a pose in front of “Gus,” the organization’s bus that the students, with help from ASU’s ACT office, recently converted to run on biodiesel. Photo submitted
Mountain Alliance, a nonprofit organization at Watauga High School, has recently undertaken projects dedicated to community service and environmental preservation.
Students in the Mountain Alliance learn, not in a traditional classroom setting, but by getting their hands dirty and serving in the High Country through a multitude of different activities. Service trips have involved learning environmental stewardship by working on a trail restoration project, or developing awareness and compassion by preparing a meal at the Hospitality House.
“Through being involved in Mountain Alliance, I have learned the importance of responsibility and hard work,” said Camille Zimmerman, a fourth-year Mountain Alliance student.
“I have also felt much more a part of my community through serving at the Hospitality House,” Zimmerman said. “It has allowed me to work with people I may have never known and also discover they were not so different than myself.”
Mountain Alliance is excited to lead by example, teaching another lesson to students and the community through converting its bus to run on biodiesel. The biodiesel will be acquired from ASU and is made by combining waste vegetable oil with some type of alcohol.
In order to make the change to using biodiesel, Mountain Alliance received a grant from ASU’s ACT office—the university’s community service program—specifically from the Don’t Throw it Away Program. Mountain Alliance partners with ACT during the end of each ASU school year and goes “dumpster diving” to retrieve all of the usable items that college students throw away as they move out of their dorms. Then, at the beginning of each school year, Mountain Alliance students volunteer at the Big Sale where all of those items are sold.
With this new change, the student-named Mountain Alliance bus, “Gus,” will not just look green from the outside but will now be green on the inside, too. Gus was initially owned by Charlotte’s Mecklenburg County School system, but after being retired was rescued by Mountain Alliance and since put to great use.
One program of Mountain Alliance, The Rolling Academy, a 10-day summer expedition, employs Gus as a classroom in search of lessons on environmental awareness, community, communication, service and craftsmanship. Last year the Academy “rolled” North to Portland, Maine, and slowly came down the East Coast, stopping in the small community of Gloucester, Maine, and met with a NOAA marine biologist, Earl Meredith.
“By being submerged in the fishing culture, it was interesting to see all that goes into the industry,” said Willis Kennedy, a 2008 Rolling Academy student. “We were able to go to a fish auction, so it was cool getting to see where our food comes from—from fisherman to restaurant.”
The bus is a staple in many of the activities Mountain Alliance offers. Last school year alone, the Mountain Alliance traveled more than 10,000 miles in pursuit of life lessons and adventure.
“It is exciting that we are able to grow and expand in this way,” said Shelly Crandall, Mountain Alliance program coordinator. “The biodiesel conversion fits in perfectly with our standards of upholding the community through service and teachings of environmental ethics to students.”
Jim Faubion, staff member and trip leader for the Mountain Alliance, said, “Students learn a lot about Leave No Trace practices on hiking and other outdoor trips, but it’s cool that we’re able to do something this big and reduce our impact so greatly in other areas, too.”
Mountain Alliance hopes that by setting a high standard for its organization, it can impart the understanding that, even with a small budget, every community member can make a big difference in the preservation of the environment. So the next time you see that big green bus full of kids driving through town on the way to a trip, hopefully you’ll not only wave, but also remember to do your part for Mother Earth.
For more information about Mountain Alliance, call Todd Nolt, director of Mountain Alliance at 828-263-0383 or email noltt@watauga.k12.nc.us.
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