EVERYBODY THINKS OF OUTDOORS, SNOW, WATER, FISHING, CAMPING-- YOU KNOW, BEING OUT IN THE WILDERNESS AND GETTING AWAY FROM ALL THE CITIES AND THE SMOG AND ALL THE MATERIALS, AND WE MAKE THOSE PRODUCTS AND THE IRONY WAS THAT SOME OF THE MATERIALS WE PUT INTO THE PRODUCTS ARE HAZARDOUS-- NOT IN THE END RESULT, NOT AS SOLID.

BUT THEY COME IN SOMETIMES AS HAZARDOUS MATERIALS AND IT'S AN ODD THING.

AND, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE AREN'T AWARE OF THAT.

WE ARE.

Narrator: ED KINIRY OWNS STOWE CANOE.

Kiniry: I OWNED, ALONG WITH A COUPLE OF OTHER FELLOWS A BUSINESS BROKERAGE COMPANY AND LO AND BEHOLD, I FOUND MYSELF ONE DAY TRYING TO SELL A CANOE COMPANY WHICH I COULDN'T SELL, SO... I ENDED UP BUYING IT.

Narrator: KINIRY'S COMPANY BUILDS OVER A THOUSAND CANOES A YEAR.

Kiniry: FAR BE IT FROM ME TO HAVE TO DETERMINE WHETHER OR NOT PEOPLE SHOULD HAVE LEFT THE WOOD AND CANVAS MATERIALS TO MAKE CANOES OUT OF FIBERGLASS AND STYRENES AND RESINS AND ALL THE THINGS THAT CERTAINLY CREATE SOME ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS.

BUT THE REALITY IS THAT LIKE EVERY OTHER PIECE OF TECHNOLOGY AS THE NEEDS HAVE INCREASED FOR THE USE OF THE PARTICULAR PRODUCT THE MATERIALS THAT WERE BEING USED MANY YEARS AGO JUST SIMPLY DIDN'T SATISFY THOSE REQUIREMENTS.

SHOW ME A PRODUCT THAT'S MADE IN THE UNITED STATES TODAY THAT HASN'T EVOLVED TO A POINT WHERE THERE IS SOME ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERN ABOUT THE MATERIALS OR PROCESSES BEING USED.

I GUESS THAT'S CALLED TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCEMENT.

WHAT WE DO AS A MANUFACTURER, I THINK IS TO BE EXTREMELY COGNIZANT OF THE FACT THAT THERE IS NEW TECHNOLOGY EVOLVING ALL THE TIME AND WE WANT TO BE SURE THAT WE ARE FIRST TO THE MARKET WITH THAT.

YOU HAVE INPUT FROM THE STATE YOU READ THINGS IN THE NEWSPAPERS.

IT'S A CONSCIOUSNESS THAT'S DEVELOPED.

Narrator: KIP BROCKMEYER IS THE PLANT MANAGER.

...TO IMPROVE THE SAFETY AND THE HEALTH OF THE AREAS YOU'RE WORKING IN.

AS WE BRING MORE AND MORE NEW PEOPLE IN HERE, YOUNGER PEOPLE THEY SAY, "WE DON'T LIKE THIS STUFF."

IT'S HARD TO KEEP PEOPLE WORKING IN ENVIRONMENTS LIKE THIS IF THEY'RE NOT CLEAN, NOT HEALTHY, NOT SAFE.

TECHNICALLY, WE DON'T HAVE TO WEAR RESPIRATORS.

WE'VE GOT A RESPIRATOR PROGRAM AND WE'RE GOING TO ENFORCE THAT IN THESE AREAS BECAUSE WE DON'T KNOW WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN TEN YEARS DOWN THE ROAD.

Kiniry: A BARREL OF ACETONE RESIDUE WILL COST ROUGHLY-- DEPENDING ON THE CARRIER-- WILL BE SOMEPLACE BETWEEN $600 AND $800.

SO, WHEN WE LOOK AT THAT AND, TWO YEARS AGO WHEN WE WERE DOING HALF THE CANOES WE'RE DOING TODAY WE WERE-- WE HAD A HAZARDOUS WASTE DISPOSAL COST THAT WAS IN THE VICINITY OF $10,000 A YEAR.

TODAY, WE'RE DOING TWICE AS MANY CANOES AND WE HOPE, AT LEAST, THAT WE WILL HAVE A HAZARDOUS WASTE COST THAT'S ALMOST HALF THAT COST.

SO, YOU CAN SEE THAT OVER TIME WE'VE FOUND BOTH RESINS AND CLEANING SOLUTIONS AND HAVE IMPLEMENTED PROCESSES THAT UTILIZE LESS OF THESE HAZARDOUS CHEMICALS.

SO, I GUESS THE POINT IS THERE'S MATERIALS AND THERE ARE PROCESSES AND WHAT BRINGS THEM BOTH TOGETHER IS A CONSCIOUSNESS OF BOTH THE ENVIRONMENT-- WHICH I THINK AS A BUSINESS AND THE KIND OF BUSINESS WE ARE WE PROBABLY ARE MORE AWARE OF THAN THE AVERAGE MACHINE SHOP MIGHT BE.

I DON'T KNOW.

THAT'S MAYBE AN ASSUMPTION ON MY PART.

BUT TWO, THE ECONOMICS OF NOT BEING AWARE OF IT ARE JUST TOO COST-PROHIBITIVE.

I MEAN, WE'RE NOT TIED TO ANY MANUFACTURER IN THE CHEMICAL INDUSTRY.

IF WE CAN FIND A PRODUCT THAT GENERATES LESS HAZARDOUS WASTE FOR US WHICH LOWERS OUR MANUFACTURING COSTS BELIEVE ME, WE DO THAT.

WE'RE A VOICE AMONG MANY, MANY VOICES.

AMERICA'S MADE UP OF THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS OF SMALL COMPANIES AND COLLECTIVELY, THEY CERTAINLY HAVE A VOICE.

WHEN ANYBODY HAS AN IDEA ON THE ENVIRONMENT, WE LOOK AT IT BECAUSE IT MIGHT SAVE US MONEY AND AT THE SAME TIME SAVE THE ENVIRONMENT.

Narrator: BENNINGTON, VERMONT.

ALLIN KARYO LOVES TO SOLVE PROBLEMS.

Karyo: THE FIRST ENVIRONMENT ISSUE WE HAD IS WHAT DO WE DO WITH OUR WASTE?

Narrator: KARYO'S COMPANY TURNS LABORATORY GLASSWARE INTO COOKWARE.

WE'RE NOT A FURNACE GLASS MANUFACTURER.

WE'RE A-- WHAT YOU CALL A RESHAPING PROCESS.

THAT MEANS WE TAKE AN EXISTING GLASS PROCESS, WE RESHAPE IT.

AND WE HAD WASTE, AND EVERY WASTE THAT WE HAD WE ALWAYS LOOKED AT IT AND SAID, "WHAT CAN WE DO WITH IT?"

THE OTHER GREAT PART OF THE ENVIRONMENT WE LOOKED AT WAS THE PACKAGING.

I MEAN, FIRST OF ALL WE GET RAW MATERIAL COMING IN IN CARDBOARDS-- TONS OF CARDBOARDS.

SO, WE ALWAYS HAVE REUSED EVERY PIECE OF CARDBOARD WE EVER HAD.

THEN WE USED TO GO AROUND AND WE USED TO TRY TO GET NEWSPRINT PAPER.

AND WE USED TO USE QUITE A BIT.

Narrator: KARYO NEEDS AN INEXPENSIVE PACKING MATERIAL.

WE GOT INVOLVED WITH THE NEW ENGLAND TELEPHONE COMPANY.

WE STARTED RECYCLING PHONE BOOKS.

THAT HAS WORKED TERRIFICALLY.

Narrator: THE PHONE BOOKS DON'T COST HIM A CENT.

Karyo: I WAS TOLD BY THE PHONE COMPANY THAT WE HAVE RECYCLED MOST OF THE PHONE BOOKS IN THE STATE OF VERMONT.

WE USED 52 TONS OF PHONE BOOKS.

Narrator: THAT'S NOT THE ONLY WAY KARYO SAVES MONEY.

THE BIGGEST PROBLEM IN THIS BUILDING IS HEAT IN THE SUMMERTIME.

LAST YEAR IT GOT TO 120 DEGREES.

IT WAS JUST UNBEARABLE.

SO WE GOT ALL TOGETHER AND WE SAID, "WHAT CAN WE DO TO CHANGE THAT?"

AND THE WORKERS SUGGESTED WE OPEN WINDOWS AND THAT'S WHAT WE DID.

YOU KNOW, IT'S VERY EFFICIENT, IT WORKS.

YOU BUY TWO FANS, IT WORKS.

YOU COULDN'T AIR-CONDITION IT.

IT WOULD BE A TOTAL WASTE OF MONEY BECAUSE WHAT YOU'RE DOING IS YOU'RE CREATING HEAT.

YOU DON'T WANT TO REALLY GET RID OF IT.

THIS ROOM IN THE WINTERTIME, THERE'S NO HEAT.

WE DON'T TURN ON THE HEAT BECAUSE IT GETS SO HOT THAT ALL THE HEAT RISES.

BUT WE HAVE A VENT HERE AND WE HAVE A VENT OVER THERE.

WHAT THEY DO UPSTAIRS, THEY PUT A FAN NEXT TO THE VENT AND IT BRINGS ALL THE HEAT UP.

ON THIS HERE, WE'RE GOING TO BUILD, WE'RE GOING TO PIPE TO THE SECOND FLOOR AND THE THIRD FLOOR.

HOPEFULLY, WE'LL BE ABLE TO HEAT THE WHOLE BUILDING THAT WAY.

THE BUILDING IS WELL INSULATED.

WE TOOK CARE OF THAT.

THAT'S THE FIRST THING WE DID WHEN WE MOVED INTO THIS BUILDING-- INSULATED THE BUILDING.

WE PURCHASED THE BUILDING WE CUT THE COST OF HEATING BY 75%.

WITHIN FIVE YEARS' TIME, WE SAVED $50,000.

THAT'S A LOT.

IT'S A LOT OF OIL, TOO, THAT WE HAVEN'T USED.

Narrator: ALLIN'S NEPHEW, MICHAEL, JOINED THE COMPANY THREE YEARS AGO.

800 RIGHT HERE, FROM "A" COMPANY.

SO THE FIGURE IS 800?

ANOTHER 400 FOR HORCHOW.

Michael: YOU CAN'T ELIMINATE THE ENVIRONMENT ANYMORE.

I THINK IN ANY BUSINESS, YOU HAVE TO TAKE THAT INTO RESPECT AND COPE WITH IT AND TRY TO MAKE THE BEST OUT OF IT.

AND THERE HAS TO BE MORE, I THINK, LEGISLATION TO SOME EXTENT ALSO.

I MEAN, THEY SHOULD MAKE PEOPLE LIMIT HOW MUCH PACKAGING THEY CAN USE AND HOW MUCH UNRECYCLABLE PACKAGING THEY CAN USE AND THERE'S NOTHING COMING FROM THE TOP THAT'S DICTATING.

I THINK THE CONSUMERS WILL RESPOND EVENTUALLY.

THE BUYER WILL GIVE THE CONSUMER WHAT HE WANTS AND THE BUYER HAS-- HE LOOKS AT FIGURES, HE LOOKS AT NUMBERS.

HE GETS HIS DAILY COMPUTER SHEETS AND YOU LOOK WHAT PRODUCT IS SELLING, AND THAT'S IT.

AND THE CONSUMER IS THE ONE THAT WILL DECIDE WHAT KIND OF PACKAGING THAT'S GOING TO EXIST AND IF THE CONSUMER DEMANDS MORE ENVIRONMENTAL PACKAGING THAT'S WHEN YOU'LL GET IT.

THE POINT IS, YOU OPEN UP THE BOX, TAKE OUT THE GOODS AND YOU THROW IT AWAY.

AND THERE ARE COMPANIES THAT PUT SO MUCH MONEY INTO THE PACKAGING-- BUBBLE PACK AND EVERYTHING ELSE.

THE IDEA IS JUST TO MAKE IT SIMPLE AND PRACTICAL AND TRY TO HAVE AS LITTLE IMPACT ON THE ENVIRONMENT AS POSSIBLE, ALSO.

THE REALITY OF IT IS THE CONSUMER IS THE ULTIMATE DIRECTOR.

THE CONSUMER WILL DICTATE WHETHER YOU'LL LIVE OR YOU'LL DIE BECAUSE HE'S THE ONE THAT WILL BUY THE PRODUCT.

Man: THE CONTEXT IS NOT JUST YOU AND ME TALKING ABOUT THESE THINGS-- AND I LOVE TO DO THAT-- I MEAN, I LOVE NOTHING BETTER THAN A GOOD SCHMOOZE ABOUT IMPORTANT ISSUES AND THIS IS A SIMULATION OF SUCH A GOOD SCHMOOZE.

I MEAN, WITH ALL RESPECT TO YOU, IT CAN'T BE OTHER THAN THAT.

Narrator: PLAINFIELD, VERMONT.

JULES AND HELEN RABIN ARE LIKE MANY PEOPLE WHO CAME TO VERMONT IN THE 1960s SEEKING A SIMPLE LIFESTYLE IN A BEAUTIFUL PLACE.

Helen: YOU KNOW, WE DON'T PUT ON SPECIAL CLOTHES AND GO DOWN THE ROAD AND GO TO WORK.

SO I GUESS, SINCE WE WORK AT HOME, PRETTY MUCH AT HOME IT SEEMS LIKE IT'S OUR LIFESTYLE, BECAUSE WE DON'T... IT ALL MESHES.

WE BUILT THAT HOUSE OURSELVES AND I WAS STILL WORKING AT GODDARD AT THAT TIME AND I THINK IT WAS-- WELL, WE'VE BEEN BAKING BREAD FOR 15 YEARS SO I GUESS THERE WERE TWO OR THREE YEARS... Narrator: THE RABINS BELIEVE THAT HOW YOU LIVE IS JUST AS IMPORTANT AS WHAT YOU DO.

WHEN JULES LOST HIS JOB, THEY TURNED TO BAKING.

I ALWAYS MADE THE BREAD FOR THE FAMILY.

EVEN WHEN WE LIVED IN THE CITY I DID.

UH-- AND SO IT WAS SOMETHING I KNEW HOW TO DO.

Narrator: THE RABINS WORK TWO DAYS A WEEK AT BAKING BREAD.

THEY SHARE THE TASKS OF RUNNING THE BUSINESS BETWEEN THEM.

Jules: WE PREFER TO BE SMALL AND LOCAL AND A LITTLE BIT-- IT'S A PERSONAL THING.

WE PREFER TO BE PRIVATE.

IT'S OUR BAKING ENTERPRISES.

I THINK OF IT AS A KIND OF EXTENSION OF OUR BEING A MATRIMONIAL COUPLE.

IT'S A-- IT WOULD, UH... I DON'T KNOW.

IT WOULD FEEL A LITTLE AWKWARD HAVING STRANGERS IN THE BAKERY AND THEN FOR ME BECAUSE I'VE GOT SOMETHING OF A SOCIALIST POINT OF VIEW IT WOULD BE DIFFICULT WORKING OUT A FAIR KIND OF PAY SCALE AND, YOU KNOW, I THINK, ESSENTIALLY WE WOULD HAVE TO BECOME A COOPERATIVE IF WE'RE GOING TO BE TAKING ON MORE PEOPLE TO MAKE MORE BREAD AND DELIVER IT AND ALL THE REST OF IT.

I'M MAYBE-- I'M NOT SURE I'M GOING TO AGREE WITH JULES ALL THE TIME.

HE HAS A MUCH MORE DEVELOPED THEORY ABOUT IT.

BUT I-- AND I OFTEN DON'T AGREE WITH SOME OF WHAT HE SAYS.

Narrator: PLAINFIELD, LIKE MANY VERMONT TOWNS IS A COMMUNITY IN TRANSITION.

Jules: YOU KNOW, IN A WAY ONE COULD SAY THAT THERE ARE TWO DIFFERENT COMMUNITIES WHICH LIVE AMIABLY SIDE BY SIDE.

THERE ARE THE OLD-TIME VERMONTERS-- SOME OF THEM FORMER FARMERS SOME OF THEM PEOPLE WHO USED TO WORK IN THE STONE SHEDS IN BARRE AND PLACES LIKE THAT-- AND THEN THERE ARE US TRANSPLANTS AND WE'RE A VERY VARIED BUNCH OF PEOPLE-- EVERYTHING FROM VERY YOUNG HIPPIES WITH NO VISIBLE MEANS OF SUPPORT TO OLDER GENTRY LIKE MYSELF AND HELEN AND OUR CIRCLE OF FRIENDS.

I SAW THE SMALL FARMS GOING OUT BECAUSE YOU COULDN'T HAVE A WOODEN FLOOR IN A BARN AND YOU HAD TO HAVE A BULK TANK.

AND THOSE VERY SIMPLE RULES JUST CHANGED EVERYTHING AND THE SIX-COW AND THE 12-COW FARMS JUST STOPPED BECAUSE THEY COULDN'T AFFORD TO PUT THOSE THINGS IN.

IT WASN'T WORTHWHILE TO THEM.

SO... SO ALL OF THE 30 FARMS THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN ON OUR ROAD BETWEEN HERE AND-- WELL, I GUESS FROM ABOUT TWO OR THREE MILES UP DOWN TO THE VILLAGE WERE GONE.

AND ONLY REALLY BY THE TIME WE GOT HERE ONLY TWO OF THEM WERE LEFT.

AND NOW ONE OF THOSE IS GONE AND WE HAVE ONE LEFT.

I THINK WE TRANSPLANTS HAVE A STAKE IN... IN KEEPING THE LAND AS IT WAS MAYBE IN THE 1890s WHEN SO MUCH OF IT WAS CLEAR AND IN GOOD HEART AND KEPT FOR AGRICULTURAL PURPOSES.

Jules: I THINK IT WAS MAYBE HELEN'S GOOD TASTE FOR FORMULATING A GOOD KIND OF BREAD SO THAT WE HAVE NO DIFFICULTY MAKING OUR LIVING WITH THIS RATHER UNIQUE BREAD THAT WE MAKE AND THAT PEOPLE CARE FOR.

BUT A LOT OF LOCAL PEOPLE CAN'T MAKE A LIVING ANYMORE AT THE STONE SHEDS OR... OR RUNNING A DAIRY FARM.

THERE'S A CONNECTION WITH THE LAND THAT'S LOST AND THE FIELDS ARE GROWING UP, AND THAT'S SAD TO SEE AND THE BARNS ARE FALLING DOWN.

YEAH, IT'S SAD, SAD.

WELL, MY FRIEND, THAT FARMER WHO LOST HIS FARM HE HAD A DEGREE OF AUTONOMY SUCH AS MOST WAGE EARNERS IN AMERICA CAN HARDLY DREAM OF.

AND I WANT TO SAY-- JUST TURNING THE MATTER BACK TO MYSELF-- THAT'S PART OF WHAT HELEN AND I LIKE IN OUR LIVES.

WE WORK 40 HOURS A WEEK AT OUR BAKING ENTERPRISE-- 40 HOURS BETWEEN US-- BUT WE SPEND A LOT OF OTHER HOURS OF THE WEEK DOING PRODUCTIVE WORK.

IT'S A LONG TIME SINCE I CONSIDERED MYSELF AN ANTHROPOLOGIST AND WHEN I'M IN THE ACT OF WRITING, I CALL MYSELF A WRITER AND WHEN I'M NOT IN THE ACT OF WRITING, I CALL MYSELF A BAKER.

I MEAN, THE BAKING IS STEADY, THE WRITING IS INTERMITTENT.

Helen: WE DON'T WANT TO SPEND TIME MAKING MORE THAN OUR LIVING.

AND I THINK THAT'S THE SHORT ANSWER.

Narrator: PUTNEY, VERMONT.

OKAY.

WHAT WE NEED TO DO IS GET BOTH OF THESE CANOES DOWN... Man: PUTNEY SCHOOL IS A VERY INTERESTING SCHOOL AND IT'S HAD A STRONG NATURAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL ETHIC FROM ITS FOUNDATION.

AND PEOPLE ARE SENT THERE TO LEARN SELF-SUFFICIENCY BOTH IN FOOD PRODUCTION... Narrator: MICHAEL SHAW IS DIRECTOR OF LIVING TECHNOLOGIES, INCORPORATED.

...LIVING IN HARMONY WITH NATURE.

IT'S ONE OF THE GREAT ETHICS OF THE SCHOOL.

Narrator: SHAW'S COMPANY SPECIALIZES IN INNOVATIVE WASTE TREATMENT SYSTEMS.

THEIR SYSTEMS INCORPORATE DESIGNS WHICH MIRROR THE NATURAL WORLD.

Teacher: WE TALKED ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF NUTRIENTS IN KEEPING ECOSYSTEMS GOING.

AND WHAT DID WE SAY WERE THE TWO IMPORTANT ONES THAT ARE LIKELY TO BE MOST INVOLVED WITH HOW PRODUCTIVE... Narrator: LOU VERNER IS CONDUCTING A CLASS IN ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES.

OKAY, PHOSPHORUS, PHOSPHATE... AND WHAT WAS THE OTHER ONE?

Boy: OXYGEN?

Girl: NITRATE?

NITRATE, OKAY.

Man: THERE WERE PEOPLE AT THE SCHOOL TEACHING ECOLOGY BACK IN THE '50s-- LONG, LONG BEFORE IT BECAME KNOWN TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC WHAT THAT WORD EVEN SIGNIFIED.

AND I THINK IT'S PROBABLY THE RURAL HERITAGE OF THIS PLACE THAT HAS ATTRACTED PEOPLE WHO HAVE A SINCERE RESPECT AND LOVE OF THE LAND.

AND THE IDEA OF STEWARDSHIP, PROTECTING THE LAND HAS BEEN AT THE SCHOOL SINCE IT STARTED.

WHAT ELSE DO WE USE LAKES FOR?

IT'S NOT JUST CLEANING OUR CLOTHES BUT WHAT ELSE GETS DUMPED INTO... Girl: SEWAGE, SOMETIMES.

SEWAGE.

OKAY, AND IN FACT, TOWNS OFTEN GREW UP ON LAKES OR STREAMS FOR THAT SAME REASON.

IT WAS A CONVENIENT PLACE TO GET RID OF SEWAGE.

THEY'RE LIKE MANY OTHER SCHOOLS IN VERMONT.

THEIR LEACH FIELD FAILED, JUST FROM AGE AND SO WHEN LOOKING TOWARDS BUILDING SOMETHING ELSE THEY SAID, "WELL, IS THERE SOME WAY WE CAN COMBINE "A COMPLETELY NATURAL SYSTEM "THAT IS MORE OF A TREATMENT SYSTEM ALONG WITH AN EDUCATIONAL FUNCTION?"

Man: THE STATE OF VERMONT HAS VERY STRICT ENVIRONMENTAL REGULATIONS.

WE WANT TO DO WHATEVER WE CAN TO MAKE SURE WE LIVE UP TO THE STEWARDSHIP COMPONENT OF THAT AND YET STILL INTRODUCE SOME IDEAS THAT MIGHT HELP A LOT OF OTHER PEOPLE OUT.

Narrator: HUGH MONTGOMERY IS THE SCHOOL'S DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR.

TOM WESSEL IS THE FORMER CHAIR OF THE SCIENCE DEPARTMENT.

IN NATURE, THERE REALLY ISN'T ANY SUCH THING AS WASTE.

WASTES ARE BY-PRODUCTS THAT ARE RECYCLED AND REUSED.

AND A CONSTRUCTED WETLAND BASICALLY WORKS ON THAT PRINCIPLE.

THE IDEA OF-- THIS ISN'T REALLY WASTE.

IT'S NUTRIENT THAT CAN GROW PLANTS THAT CAN BE TAKEN INTO THE SYSTEM AND UTILIZED.

IT'S A WHOLE DIFFERENT IDEA THAN JUST BURYING THE STUFF UNDERGROUND.

AND FROM MY POINT OF VIEW, IT'S GREAT EDUCATION.

Narrator: LIVING TECHNOLOGIES AND THE PUTNEY SCHOOL HOPE TO INTRODUCE A NEW TECHNOLOGY TO THE STATE.

...HOW YOU CAN HANDLE THINGS LIKE THIS AND MAKE GOOD ECOLOGICAL SENSE.

AND WHAT DOES IT MEAN IF THERE'S LOW OXYGEN LEVELS?

IF IT'S LOW OXYGEN THAT'S SAYING THAT THERE'S ENOUGH ACTIVITY IN TERMS OF EITHER DECOMPOSITION OR PERHAPS LOW AMOUNTS OF OXYGEN BEING BROUGHT INTO THE LAKE THROUGH ANY KIND OF CHURNING FROM THE ATMOSPHERE THAT IT MAY BE PROBLEMATIC FOR ORGANISMS TO SURVIVE IN THERE.

WE HAVE A VIEW OF NATURE AS BEING WEAK.

YOU KNOW, THESE ARE JUST SOME BACTERIA YOU CAN'T SEE AND SOME SNAILS AND A FEW CLAMS AND SOME FISH.

HOW CAN THEY CLEAN UP A VERY STRONG WASTE?

AND THE IMAGE OF CHEMICAL TREATMENT IS IF WE THROW SOMETHING REALLY STRONG AT THIS STUFF THAT WILL REALLY TREAT UP THE WASTE.

WHEREAS IN FACT, WHAT I'VE BEEN IMPRESSED WITH IN THE YEARS I'VE WORKED WITH THESE SYSTEMS IS THAT NATURE AND ECOSYSTEMS ARE INCREDIBLY ROBUST.

THERE ARE, AS WE UNDERSTAND THOUSANDS OF CONSTRUCTED WETLANDS IN EUROPE.

THERE ARE QUITE A NUMBER IN THE U.S.

AND THERE ARE ZERO IN VERMONT.

PART OF THAT IS REGULATORY, PART OF THAT MAY BE CLIMATIC.

IT'S OUR UNDERSTANDING THAT THE PROCESS ITSELF SHOULD WORK VERY WELL IN VERMONT.

ONE NEEDS TO DEMONSTRATE THAT IT WILL BEFORE THE STATE WILL ENDORSE IT WHOLEHEARTEDLY.

WE HOPE TO BE ABLE TO DO THAT.

IT'S SORT OF A MODEL ECOSYSTEM THAT WE CAN UTILIZE.

IT'S SELF-CONTAINED WE CAN LOOK AT THE AMOUNT OF NUTRIENT COMING IN WE CAN MONITOR THAT, WE CAN TEST IT WE CAN SEE THE AMOUNT OF NUTRIENT COMING OUT AND IN TERMS OF ECOSYSTEMS NUTRIENT BUDGETS ARE REALLY IMPORTANT SORT OF MEANS OF ASSESSING HEALTH.

SO IT'S GOOD, PRACTICAL, HANDS- ON EDUCATION FOR OUR STUDENTS AND IT ALSO SHOWS THAT WHEN YOU HAVE ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS THAT SOME CREATIVE THINKING CAN COME UP WITH UNIQUE SOLUTIONS THAT DON'T HAVE TO BE TERRIBLY COMPLEX.

IT'S TAKING THE NATURAL TREATMENT PROCESSES OF A MARSH BUILDING THAT MARSH INSIDE A-- SORT OF WITHIN A HOLE IN THE GROUND THAT HAS A LINER IN IT SO THERE'S NO LEAKAGE OF THE WASTE WATER INTO THE SUBSOIL.

AND AS THE WASTE WATER GOES THROUGH THAT MARSH IT IS CLEANED UP.

WE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO DO SOMETHING THAT NOBODY ELSE IN VERMONT HAS TAKEN THE INITIATIVE, AS FAR AS WE KNOW, TO WANT TO DO.

IT MAY BE MORE EXPENSIVE ON THE SHORT TERM.

WE THINK IT WILL BE CHEAPER ON THE LONG HAUL AND WE HOPE IT WILL PAY DIVIDENDS FOR A LOT MORE PEOPLE THAN JUST THE PUTNEY SCHOOL.

Narrator: IF FUNDED, THE WETLANDS PROJECT WILL BE A CONCRETE EXAMPLE OF THE LESSONS THE PUTNEY SCHOOL WOULD LIKE TO TEACH THEIR STUDENTS.

TRY TO GET SOME SAMPLES RIGHT NEAR THE EDGE HERE.

Wessel: HOPEFULLY, WHAT WE'RE DOING IS HELPING TO DEVELOP ENVIRONMENTAL CITIZENS-- PEOPLE WHO WILL GO OUT AND TACKLE THE CHALLENGES THAT ARE CERTAINLY GOING TO BE MOUNTING IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF DECADES.

BEING GOOD CITIZENS DOES NOT NECESSARILY IMPLY GOING WITH THE STATUS QUO.

IN FACT, IN MOST CIRCUMSTANCES, IT SHOULDN'T.

AND WE'VE GRADUATED, OVER THE YEARS AN EXTRAORDINARILY LARGE NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO'VE GONE OUT THERE AND BEATEN THE BUSHES TO IMPLEMENT AN IDEA OR TO CHANGE SOMETHING THAT THEY SAW WAS AN INJUSTICE IN A WAY THAT WAS NOT NECESSARILY TERRIBLY POPULAR.