More News

Last spring, Sandy Spring Friends School parents Michelle Higgins and Dan Goodman, a 1978 graduate of the school, came up with the idea of the Energy Garden.

The two had known each other as teenagers but only recently reconnected.

‘‘I bought a diesel VW Beetle and I was looking for biodiesel fuel for it,” Higgins said. ‘‘When I Googled it, Dan’s name came up.”

Goodman, who produces some of the fuel for the Friends School bus fleet, founded Biodiesel University, a nonprofit, renewable energy education organization focused on teaching students, teachers and consumers about renewable energy and environmental stewardship.

He wanted to create the garden to teach the students about sustainability issues with fuel.

‘‘They need to see how much fuel this produces and how much effort, water and energy it needs, and to see what it would take to fuel all of our energy needs if we shifted from petroleum to something more sustainable,” he said.

Goodman said biodiesel fuel has an environmental impact, as it produces fewer emissions, and has political implications because it keeps the money in this country.

‘‘This is something that all age groups can participate in and something for the kids to think about as they retouch the sunflowers,” he said. ‘‘A lot of people don’t realize that there are other ways to do things.”

The process for making biodiesel fuel is relatively simple, he said.

‘‘Because it is our first time, I don’t know exactly [how much fuel will be produced],” he said. ‘‘It could be 20 gallons or it could be 100 gallons.

‘‘We watered and fertilized aggressively, so these sunflowers are larger and denser,” he said. ‘‘They look pretty good for people who have never done this before.”

They used compost from food waste collected from the school’s cafeteria, Goodman said.

The sunflowers were planted on a quarter-acre plot tucked away on the sprawling Sandy Spring Friends School campus.

Many students tended to the plants throughout the summer, including Higgins’ son Finnbar, 11.

Last week, the group removed the flowers from the plants and stripped the leaves off the stalks.

The flowers will be encased in cheesecloth and then hung from a ceiling to dry. The seeds will then be processed in several ways to create new products.

Some of the seeds will be roasted to eat, others will be ground to make meal and the oil will be extracted to make biodiesel fuel, as well as soap.

Even the stalks will be used.

‘‘We’re going to have fun with those and use them to build a hut,” Higgins said.

The project fits well with the lessons the school hopes to impart.

‘‘One of the prominent cornerstones of our school is the environment and stewardship of our Earth,” said Ken Smith, head of the school. ‘‘We’re always looking for projects like this.”

The Energy Garden teaches students about native plants, the history of the land, stewardship of the Earth, Quaker values, sustainability and teamwork.

Students enjoyed the summer-like weather, as they used axes and hatchets to chop down the thick stalks during the Sept. 19 harvest.

‘‘It’s amazing how in one summer a quarter-acre of land grew into this,” said Miles Gorton, a 12-year-old from Rockville.

Gordaon said he has been working on the garden since before school started.

‘‘When you see sunflower seeds in the stores, you don’t realize that they came from these big flowers,” said Mya Morris-Smith, 11, of Silver Spring.

‘‘Besides just having fun, we are doing something for the Earth,” added 10-year-old Abigail Harrison of Silver Spring. ‘‘It’s something small, but it still helps.”

Higgins hopes the Energy Garden will continue. Students will soon begin researching what to use as a rotation crop.