"Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strenght that will endure as long as life lasts."         - Rachel Carson

In 2001, an Alternative Energy Tool Kit consisting of a solar panel, a charge regulator, batteries and a vehicle allowed students to examine economic costs and environmental impacts of an alternative energy system versus a fossil fuel system. This project was initiated by MS3 graduate Tim Elder and who designated it a tool kit because the individual components lend themselves to rearrangement for many different studies and projects at the Macoskey Center. Tim conceived this idea in the "Foundations of Sustainability" course within the MS3 program and was funded through a grant from the College of Health and Human Services Research Committee and the Macoskey Center budget.

The initial implementation of the Alternative Energy Too Kit will be the conversion of a conventional sweep-type garden cultivator from gasoline to electric power. The function of this crawler cultivator is to control weeds in row-crop gardens. The resulting battery powered machine will maintain the structure of the soil, reduce fossil fuel use, reduce air and water pollution, and protect the operator's hearing.- Source: Tim Elder Alternator Article

Tim Elder demonstrating the cultivator in the Macoskey Center gardens (2001).