Michael Reynolds' keynote address on futuristic, environmentally-friendly "Earthship" houses -- constructed from recycled bottles, tires and washing machines -- embodied the forward-looking mindset of this weekend's "Farming for the Future" conference.
Reynolds, along with College of Agricultural Sciences Dean Bruce McPheron and other proponents of environmentally friendly living, addressed a packed house Friday. Hosted by the Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture (PASA), The weekend-long event was held at the Penn Stater Conference Center Hotel and welcomed a diverse crowd of 2,100 visitors, representing five countries, 30 states, 35 school districts and more than 43,000 acres of combined farmland.
In addition to hearing speakers, attendees participated in workshops and browsed hundreds of exhibits -- learning about everything from the importance of buying local food to managing a sustainable farm.
In his keynote address, Reynolds -- a well-known architect from New Mexico -- outlined the benefits of building "Earthships" that combine biology and architecture to create comfortable, self-sustaining homes.
These houses are designed with indoor gardens, self-insulating walls and other ecologically minded amenities, Reynolds said, adhering to his philosophy that "when the economy goes bust, it shouldn't mean that people lose their sustenance."
But the theme of Reynolds' address was hardly limited to his specific area of expertise and instead advocated rethinking farming.
"All of the human world is limited to black and white, and there's all these shades of gray in between," Reynolds said. "And the answers are actually out there in the color spectrum [...] we haven't even scratched the surface yet."
One Penn State student at the conference, Erika Roach (graduate-agronomy) said the event provided an enjoyable and educational look at the future of farming.
"It was very nice to see so many people in Pennsylvania who care about sustainable agriculture," Roach said. "And it's a good place to learn a lot."
And for Bonnie Thomas, a student at the West Virginia University, it was a good opportunity to take an inside look at agriculture.
"As a college student and someone who's not a farmer, it's great to see the future and what's available for us," Thomas (graduate-marketing) said.
