Apr 12 - McClatchy-Tribune Regional News - Scott Richardson The Pantagraph, Bloomington, Ill.



On the first Earth Day in 1970, Rebecca Wilson rode a bike on the beach at Santa Monica, Calif. The goal of the event was to raise environmental awareness at a time when a generation of young people clamored for change.

Nine years later, Wilson moved to the small town of Stelle in Central Illinois. The unincorporated community was founded in 1973 on a vision of sustainability outlined in the book, "The Ultimate Frontier." Followers of the charismatic author, Richard Kieninger, envisioned a Utopian community powered by sun and wind, a place where people could nurture their spirits as they grew their own food and lived in harmony with their surroundings.

Kieninger predicted Stelle would grow to a city of 250,000, but the population remains around 100. They are a mixed group. Some just want to raise their children in a country setting. Stelle's history holds no interest for them. But as the 40th anniversary of Earth Day approaches on April 22, community leaders say others remain committed in varying degrees to Stelle's original vision. Whether vocation or avocation, they experiment with ways humans can leave a lighter footprint on the world and hope to achieve social change by setting a good example.

"That is still the passion of my heart, to see better relationships, better community, (to ask) how can we get along and how can we get along with the place we call home -- planet Earth," said Wilson, 56, who was Stelle community manager for 18 years. "How many species trash their nest? We do it all time."

 Wilson and her husband, Bill, own Midwest Permaculture, a business that teaches communities how they can become sustainable. The Wilsons also are active in the Stelle Transition Initiative, a growing England-based movement designed to achieve similar goals. Planners envision what they want their communities to look like several decades in the future and then decide what must be done now and next year and 10 years from now to make it a reality. Stelle, located in northern Ford County, was the first community in Illinois, and among just a few in America, to enlist as a transition community, Wilson said.

Ed Homeier, 72, a retired research scientist for a petro-chemical company, moved to Stelle a few years ago after his wife retired from teaching. They planned to build an energy-efficient home somewhere else, but chose Stelle instead after attending one of the town's annual solar tours. They thought living near like-minded people would be satisfying, he said.

"I want to do my part to make life easier, and that's what I'm doing," said Homeier, president of the board of the Center for Sustainable Community in Stelle. "We are interested in promoting sustainable living through educational efforts."

The Center for Sustainable Community, the Stelle Community Association and the Stelle Transition Initiative will host an Earth Day open house on May 2 to showcase Stelle's use of solar and wind power and its collective efforts to raise food locally and reduce waste.

Sustaining themselves

Stelle has about 40 dwellings. Many of the structures operate on solar energy. The Stelle Telephone Company, which provides phone, cable and high-speed Internet service, is America's first completely solar-powered telephone mutual. A wind turbine provides electricity for the community-owned water treatment plant.

One Web site devoted to Stelle says the town holds the distinction for being the second smallest community ever to receive the Tree City Award from the National Arbor Day Foundation.

Stelle officials also encourage efforts to produce food locally. As Wilson pointed out, agriculture-rich Illinois still imports a vast majority of what its citizens eat. The more food grown close to consumers, the less gasoline is burned trucking it to the table, she said. Homeier noted community members keep bees for honey, make cheese and bread, and organize co-ops to grow gardens and orchards and raise livestock, such as chickens, for meat and eggs. They make their own compost.

Residents also partner with nearby Kankakee Community College to hold classes to teach sustainable skills to others. Annual Earth Day observances in spring and solar tours later in the year give visitors the chance to ask questions about the technology and lifestyle, Homeier said.

"I hope we stay open to these possibilities we are looking at and we take incremental steps so we can start to rebuild community and find joy and substance in relating in simple ways to our neighbors," Wilson said.

Trying to get Americans to take part in such efforts has been an uphill battle, the Stelle leaders acknowledged, despite the current interest in "going green." In the 40 years since Wilson rode her bike on the beach, the nation's commitment to reduce pollution and meet energy needs using renewable resources has ebbed and flowed like tides.

Homeier noted President Jimmy Carter installed solar panels on the White House roof only to have President Reagan take them down. President George W. Bush quietly had new solar panels installed, but was criticized for being soft on the Kyoto Protocol that Bill Clinton helped fashion to cut greenhouse emissions. President Obama recently traveled to Copenhagen to again pledge U.S. cooperation to worldwide efforts to address climate change and earlier this month, his administration imposed rules to raise gas mileage to 35.5 mpg in the next six years -- up 10 mpg from current standards.

But as national leadership has debated back and forth, Homeier said the average date of the last spring freeze in Stelle has moved forward on the calendar, from May 10 into April.

"The American public is confused," Homeier said. "But I'm a scientist. Trust me. It's real. We can't keep dumping gases into the atmosphere without having an effect. The temperature is going up. ... I strongly suspect my granddaughter will face a far different world.

"But I guess I'm optimistic," he added. "The world will go on. What it will be like, I don't know. The Chinese have a saying, 'May you live in interesting times.' These are them. That was true before and will be true again."

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Earth Day Celebration

When: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. May 2

Where: Stelle in northern Ford County

Features: Local food, vendors, energy, artists, tours and more.

Directions: Traveling north on Interstate 55, exit 197 at Pontiac. Travel east on Illinois 116 through Saunemin and Cullom. Two miles past the intersection of Illinois 116 and Illinois 115, go north (left) on County Road 1600E five miles to County Road 3800 N. Turn right on 3800N and go 3/4 -miles east to Stelle's entrance on the right.

More information: Stelle Community Association at www.stellecommunity.com; Center for Sustainable Community at www.centerforsustainablecommunity.org; Rebecca Wilson at Midwest Permaculture Transition Towns and Permaculture at www.midwestpermaculture.com; call 815-256-2215.; and http://www.csceducationalagriculture.org/EventsDetailsPage.html.

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