Big ideas sometimes start small, and that’s exactly what’s happening on El Hierro, the smallest and southernmost of the Canary Islands. El Hierro, with a population of 10,000 is about to go live with a system of wind and solar power that will provide all energy for the island. If it works well, the El Hierro system could serve as a demonstration project to inspire other similar efforts. It’s an inspiring example of creative government thinking.

Here’s how Think Progress describes the project:

…Five wind turbines will provide 11.5 megawatts of power, enough to meet the demand of the population and the desalination plants on this small crop of land off the coast of Africa in the Atlantic Ocean.

When the wind isn’t blowing, hydropower will fill the void. When the wind is blowing, power will be used to pump water into a reservoir in a volcanic crater about 2,300 feet above sea level. Then when power is needed, that water will be released down to a lower reservoir and used to generate electricity on the way. This process is known as pump-storage hydroelectricity, and is used in many other countries across the globe — including the world’s largest outside of Washington, D.C.

“This system guarantees us a supply of electricity,” said the director of the Gorona del Viento wind power plant, Juan Manuel Quintero.

With the $75 million project set to come online, El Hierro will no longer have to rely on costly and dirty diesel generators for electricity — although it will maintain an oil power station just in case. According to Phys.org, the island’s transition to renewable energy will cut carbon dioxide emissions by 20,600 tons per year and save the island from using 40,000 barrels of oil a year.

Other islands are taking advantage of renewable resources to become wind- and solar-powered, but El Hierro is believed to be the first to do so exclusively with wind and hydro power and without having any connection to an outside electricity grid.

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In a recent e-newsletter, Senator Bernie Sanders shared a video about a little town in Vermont called Swanton. Swanton has recently made an important change to its water treatment plant that will save area residents from a rate hike.

The treatment plant featured in the video replaced sixteen decades old units with only five solar-powered units, not only saving residents a heap of money, but proving that small towns can make big, innovative differences. According to the video, the solar-powered aerators will pay for themselves in energy savings alone. Good for the environment and the pocketbook makes this doubly good news.

Once again, Vermont proves to be a leader in environmental protection and conservation. The state was the first in the country to ban fracking, including the import and storage of the toxic water used in the fracking process. The message is clear: Vermonters want no part in the dangerous and harmful extraction of natural gas known as fracking.

Driving through scenic Vermont, you’re sure to see plenty of energy-creating windmills and rooftop solar panels too. What you won’t see? In 1968, the state banned billboards. In 1972, legislation banning the use of toss-away beverage containers was passed to help rid roadsides of litter.

Senator Sanders also recently welcomed the news that Vermont Yankee–the state’s only operational nuclear reactor–is shutting down for good by the end of 2014:

The closure will allow Vermont to focus on leading the nation toward safer and more economical sources of sustainable and renewable energy like solar, wind, geothermal and biomass.

Residents of “The Green Mountain State” undoubtedly care about the environment and are eager to prove it.

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