In a rural community in Northern Nicaragua, a group of Nicaraguans are a shining example of incorporating clean energy into their daily lives.  From a solar-powered restaurant to solar-roasted coffee beans, the Solar Center in Sabana Grande serves as a model of economic, ecologic, and social sustainability.

Beth Osnes, assistant professor of theatre and dance, was invited to Nicaragua to engage with the community’s Youth Empowerment Program (ages 18-24). In January, Osnes and graduate student, Mandy Greenlee, worked with the youth group to utilize interactive theater and solar-powered shadow puppets to communicate with the larger community about how they have changed their lives through the adoption of clean energy technology.

“It was a pleasure to be invited by the Solar Center to the community of Sabana Grande,” Osnes said. “Solar-powered shadow puppet theatre served as a highly appropriate medium to convey their message to the community. And I learned a lot from my work with this community about how to create a program that helps an already effective group tell their own story within their larger community.”

Learn more in this video:

Learn more about Osnes’ Solar-Powered Shadow Puppet Performance in Nicaragua program.