SolarFest

The SolarFest Renewable Energy music festival began in Vermont in 1995. The stated goals of the nonprofit Solarfest organization are to inspire the conservation of Earth's limited resources, to promote renewable energy, and to support the creation of sustainable communities.Solar Energy is the sun’s rays (solar radiation) that reach the earth. This energy can be converted into other forms of energy, such as heat and electricity. In the 1830s, the British astronomer John Herschel used a solar thermal collector box (a device that absorbs sunlight to collect heat) to cook food during an expedition to Africa. Today, Solar energy can be converted to thermal (or heat) energy and used to: Heat water – for use in homes, buildings, or swimming pools. Solar energy can also be used to heat spaces such has homes, buildings or arenas as is seen by SolarFest.

The festival spans 3 days and runs on renewable energy—primarily solar power, but with wind and biodiesel also incorporated. The New England Renewable Energy Festival has been coined 'a party with a purpose'. For an entire weekend, the 80 -acre Forget-Me-Not Farm in Tinmouth, owned by Marshall and Melody Squier, becomes an outdoor campus; a place to be entertained, educated and inspired.

The festival was first located in Middletown Springs, Vermont. After 8 years in Middletown Springs, SolarFest moved to Green Mountain College in Poultney, Vermont for 2 years. Then, in 2005, the festival moved to its current location at Forget-Me-Not Farm in Tinmouth, Vermont.

The 2009 Solarfest schedule includes over 70 workshops with topics including: Renewal Energy, Green Building, Thriving Locally, Sustainable Agriculture, and Solar Generation (workshops designed for young people). The festival has grown from its 200 attendee start in 1995 to an expected crowd of 6,000 in 2009.

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