Mitchell Hardman is a sophomore at Rabun Gap-Nacoochee School in Rabun Gap, Ga. Hardman's family owns Persimmon Creek Vineyards in north Georgia where he tries to implement new environmental technologies in the vineyard. Mitchell has been long interested in global energy needs and environmental issues. At school, Mitchell has helped with the installation of a small hydroelectric turbine, and he is currently working on expanding an existing solar array along with designing a school garden. At the vineyard, Mitchell helped install a nine kilowatt-hour solar array on his house, and he uses biodiesel made from local soybeans to operate the vineyard machinery. Currently, Hardman is working on a wood gasification reactor to power a gasoline generator. Hardman had the honor of receiving the Captain Planet Award in 2007 from the Captain Planet Foundation in Atlanta, Ga.