Students learn about sustainability on Esther Island

COURTESY PHOTOS Shea Gilman and Benjamin Elwell navigating the gangway onto Esther Island. For Nantucket Lighthouse School students, every day is an opportunity to learn about their world. Using the island as their classroom, children are exposed to the greater world and how they are a part of it.

Alisa Allegrini's students in the school's upper primary classes learn about energy efficiency and geography every Tuesday, as it is bike-toschool day. But on Tuesday, Oct. 26, Allegrini's students and Sandy Mitchell's fifth and sixth graders took their studies on the road — and over water — to Alan Worden's green cottage on Esther Island. Worden's cottage was built according to the sustainability standards of the U.S. Green Building Council and powered by a photovoltaic solar panel array and a wind energy conversion system.

Part of the Lighthouse School curriculum includes learning about energy sources and how it is generated. A natural step for these students is to see alternative energy in action.

"Several years ago, we started the study of electricity as a basic unit in those grades (third through sixth): Here's how we receive our electricity and why circuitry is useful information," said Lighthouse School co- founder Lizbet Carroll- Fuller. "[But], they're going to need more than that. It ties in with our school garden curriculum. Throughout each day, kids are composting and recycling in the classroom."

Nantucket Lighthouse School students who visited Alan Worden's green cottage are, from left to right in the back row: Sophie Proch, Sophie Timms, Blake Lazarus, Natty Davidson, Curtis Maltby, Cole Gilman, Virginia Bullington, Henry Schwed, Ben Elwell, Mason Gilbey and Oliver Dyche, and in the front row left to right: Chance Pollock, Isaiah Williams, Ben Rudd, Aurora Zimicki, Mae Blackwell, Abby Taaffe, Shea Gilman, Skyler Coffin. Owner of Windwalker Real Estate and CEO of Scout Real Estate Capital, Worden renovated his 2,400-square-foot onestory beach cottage from several smaller buildings, including a gas station and barber shop, which were transported to Esther Island.

On 10 acres at the eastern end of the tiny island, Worden first moved his house back 50 feet from its northern shore.

During the construction process, Worden installed five-kilowatt photovoltaic solar panels for electricity and thermal solar panels to produce hot water. Additional power comes from a 17- foot five-kilowatt, vertical wind turbine that looks like a corkscrew.

Rainwater collected from gutters irrigates the native droughtresistant plants and grass on the property, and instead of the antiquated cesspool originally used for sewage; Worden installed an AdvanTex enviro-septic system with pipes made of 30-percent "used" plastic.

Worden uses an aluminum skiff to get out to Esther Island.

For the Lighthouse School students, the trip to Esther Island and Worden's home was an example of low environmental impact living. I