Students in Berea College’s Sustainability and Environmental Studies (SENS) Program will conduct a hands-on demonstration workshop to show people how to make earth plasters and other natural building materials. People will also be able to compare the electrical output from a peddle-powered generator with that from two photovoltaic (solar-powered) panels, and observe a solar-powered oven.

“Learning by doing is central to Berea’s educational model,” said Dr. Richard Olson, director of the SENS program. “This summer, SENS students built a straw bale shed on campus - a very challenging task which they accomplished very successfully. They want to share what they have learned with others.”

Berea College’s ongoing transformation to a sustainable campus provides abundant opportunities for experiential learning. Students are involved in the design and renovation of more energy-efficient buildings, development of an energy master plan for the campus, conducting educational programs to increase recycling and “green” purchasing, and compiling a set of indicators of ecological sustainability to help the college determine if it is moving toward sustainability. A key initiative is the college’s planned Ecovillage, an ecologically-sustainable residential and learning facility that will provide an additional 32 units of housing for married students and students with children, a child-care development center, the Sustainability and Environmental Studies House, a Living Machine to treat waste water on site, a permaculture food forest and a wetlands habitat for native flora and fauna.

Students Jennie Koch and Kelly Cutchin will lead the demonstrations, talk about the construction of the straw bale shed at Berea, and discuss plans for the $9 million Ecovillage.

For more information on Berea's SENS program and sustainability initiatives, contact Dr. Richard Olson, SENS director, at (859) 985-3593.