PSU Magazine Fall 2005

_., to moniLor any impacts on aquatic life. Large boats are already prohibited from the channel where the Verdant project is going in and recreational craft should easily pass over the blade tips even at low tides. ln fact, the proposal has had only one complaint, Taylor says. That was from a man upset about losing one of his favorite fishing holes , although no one has seen him fish there. L ocating a project in the Big Apple also has the advantage of drawing the attention of media giants. The New York Times has reported on the project, and Esquire magazine named Taylor one of 2004's "Best and Brightest" for his work with Verdant Power. lf the demonstration project goes well, Verdant will add up to 300 underwater turbines and generate 10 megawatts of power-enough to light up 8,000 homes. But the New York agency charged with overseeing renew– able projects estimates that as much as 4,000 megawatts of tidal power may be harvestable in the New York area. That's enough to elect1ify 3.2 million homes. For Taylor, the journey from Portland State to the Big Apple has been a long, strange trip of zigs and zags. The journey began in the mid- 1960s, when Taylor entered PSU bent on studying geology He zigged shortly after, when, in that heyday of social upheaval, Taylor followed his heart to join activists who wanted to create a better world. He changed his major to political science, became a student sen– ator, and joined the PSU Educational Activities Board, which was responsible for overseeing budgets of student groups. "lt was quite fun in those days," says Taylor. "Taking over the student government. .. 1 learned you're only as good as the army that's backing you-or controlling the purse strings. " Taylor briefly considered a career in politics, but instead zagged to teach– ing, joining a Minnesota outpost of the Teacher Corps, a federal program simi– lar to the Peace Corps, aimed at shak– ing up education's status quo. But when he received a low draft FALL 2005 PSU MAGAZINE 21