Black youth reclaim clean energy

Birchard co-leads Friends of Frog Tree Farm. This nonprofit extends the farm’s reach into the Twin Cities and provides programming for historically underserved youth through workshops and farm visits. Birchard started visiting the farm 35 years ago and spent most of his career as a teacher and administrator in colleges throughout the metro area teaching race in America, democratic citizenship, and community organizing.

Olamide Salu charges a phone from a solar panel next to Michael Birchard at a Jackson Middle School workshop.

Birchard understands the connection between social justice and clean energy. “Yes, there’s this idea that there are blue bins to put your recycling in, but for many from low-income communities recycling and upcycling is just a way of life – when you're done with a mayonnaise jar, that becomes a drinking glass. It doesn't go into the recycling bin, it becomes a functioning item in the house.”

Friends of Frog Tree Farm saw how reusing items could fit under the term “clean energy” and that when youth understood the term, they were empowered to take advantage of it. This inspired the start of the Youth Energy Leaders program. Reaching more than 300 middle and high school students from historically underserved communities, this program received a 2026 Clean Energy Resource Teams (CERTs) Seed Grant to support its in-school workshops, annual career fair, and field-based retreat to the farm.

Olamide Salu, a participating west metro student and a Youth Energy Leader intern says, “This has been an eye opening experience for my future.” Salu participated in all of the program’s events and is now considering a career in energy and environmental sustainability. “I hope to carry the lessons I learned into my future to make a positive impact on my community.”

When Birchard began working in schools, he focused on violence reduction and education. “We’d help the students recognize their culture and understand who they are. But also we’d tie it in with opportunities and building social capital. Part of building social capital is recognizing the importance of clean energy.”

Kobe Mustapha, a participating student and intern says, “Many school setups can seem passive. You sit, absorb information, and take a test, but these experiences were completely different.”

Mustapha’s experience is intentional. Birchard says that the workshops are a balancing act of education and love. “The biggest thing is to be a caring adult.”

The program traded the classroom for the countryside, taking 20 youth out to Frog Tree Farm where Birchard and Mitchell welcomed them to demonstrate how sustainability works in their lives. They shared stories about how the farm developed over the years and how they’ve transitioned or integrated traditional ways with modern ones.

"When our kids were little, this is how they got the water. They didn't turn on a faucet that had an electric pump. They used their hands,” Birchard explained.

For many students, this visit was a way to reconnect with traditional knowledge, such as using hand tools and shared labor. The visit emphasized that clean energy is about more than just high-tech gadgets; it is about resourcefulness, sustainability, and respecting the land’s limits.

The visit also looked toward the future of Frog Tree Farm. Students reviewed the planned sites for a solar energy field and the Minnesota Black Rural History, Art, Culture, and Heritage Trail, helping them see how clean energy, social justice, and cultural preservation can take root together on the land.

“You're finding different ways to connect with them so that they feel connected too. They're coming to see their trail, they're coming to learn about their health, their history, their culture, and who they are. We're intermixing these important values through Peace and her farm,” says Birchard. And the impact is spreading beyond the students.