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'Solar Sheep' And Seed School Among Conservation Efforts At Antioch College

Antioch College Farm Manager, Kat Christen, introduces a the farm's latest employees - sheep brought in to help with grounds maintenance under the solar arrays.
Jerry Kenney
Antioch College Farm Manager, Kat Christen, introduces a the farm's latest employees - sheep brought in to help with grounds maintenance under the solar arrays.

Three conservation efforts taking place at Antioch College represent their long standing goal of becoming more sustainable. In this excerpt from WYSO Weekend, we highlight these efforts:

Up first, the college and Glen Helen Nature Preserve in Yellow Springs have secured a second land conservation easement that will forever protect 973 acres of the preserve. To get more details on the easement we spoke to Nick Boutis, Executive Director of the Glen Helen Ecology Institute.

On this day, Antioch's 'solar sheep' move in a line formation, chomping and chewing on tufts of tall grass around acres of solar array panels.
Credit Jerry Kenney
On this day, Antioch's 'solar sheep' move in a line formation, chomping and chewing on tufts of tall grass around acres of solar array panels.

Then, one of the sure signs of summer is the sound of lawn mowers cutting their way through neighborhoods across the country. That sound – too early on a Saturday or Sunday morning – can cause the gentlest of souls to gnash their teeth and perhaps curse their neighbors. Enter a new batch of 'solar sheep' which are providing grounds maintenance - chomping and chewing the high grass surrounding several acres of large solar array panels on the Antioch College Farm. Farm Manager, Kat Christen, has been on the job about four years.   To find out more about the farm and the part these solar sheep are playing in Antioch’s sustainability efforts, we take a trip outdoors.

Finally, Beth Bridgeman, Instructor of Co-operative Education at Antioch College, recently took a small group of students to the Seed Savers Exchange conference in Decorah, Iowa. Seed Savers Exchange is the largest non-governmental seed bank in the United States. We spoke to Bridgeman to find out more about how the exchange works and how Antioch College plans to launch Ohio's first Seed School. 

WYSO is licensed to Antioch College.

Jerry Kenney is an award-winning news host and anchor at WYSO, which he joined in 2007 after more than 15 years of volunteering with the public radio station. He serves as All Things Considered host, Alpha Rhythms co-host, and WYSO Weekend host.