This week, the 60+ year environmental education career of Dr. George Potts (a.k.a “Energy Green Grandpa”) was featured in Kansas Living, an online magazine published in affiliation with Kansas Farm Bureau. Reported and written by Sheridan Wimmer, the article, entitled “Energy Green Grandpa shares energy tips on YouTube“, traces Dr. Potts’ long career as a science educator.
Calling him a “spry and humorous 84-year-old,” the article describes his formative 1964-1967 teaching stint in South Central Los Angeles, his 1970s involvement with Wichita North’s Ecology Club, his 1976-1991 tenure with the Friends University science department, his 24-year stint as the coordinator of the Kansas Outdoor Wildlife Learning Sites (OWLS) program, and his latest stint as Energy Green Grandpa on YouTube.
“I’ve been concerned about the environment all my life,” George says. “Ever since I was in the park catching snakes and gophers as a little kid. But I want to keep that kind of experience for my grandkids’ kids.”
The article also describes the career of Alice Potts (who appears as “Energy Green Grandma” in some of George’s videos), an elementary school teacher who in 1994 facilitated a campaign to get the barred tiger salamander declared the Kansas State amphibian.
“When [Alice and I] met [in 1967], I asked her why she wasn’t married yet, and she said she was waiting for the perfect man,” George says. “When I asked her to marry me and she said yes, I said, ‘I must be perfect!’ Three months later and we were married.”
To read the full article, which appeared in Kansas Living on March 14, 2024, click here.
The above photos of Energy Green Grandpa were taken in Lindsborg, Kansas by Sheridan Wimmer.