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The event, hosted by Larry D. Shinn, Berea College president, and Mae Suramek,
alumni relations director, will begin with lunch at noon in the Ecovillage
Commons House. At 1 p.m., Dr. Richard Olson, director of Berea's Sustainability
and Environmental Studies (SENS) program and Connie Briggs, Ecovillage
coordinator, will give a guided tour of the Ecovillage.
Completed last fall, the five-acre Ecovillage is a residential and learning
complex designed to meet performance standards that conserve energy and
natural resources, thus reducing the community's ecological impact. Berea's
Ecovillage has residential units for 50 student families and includes
a child development laboratory and daycare center, a commons house, a
Sustainability and Environmental Studies (SENS) demonstration house,
and an on-site water treatment facility that uses natural processes to
turn sewage to swimmable-quality water that is recirculated for non-potable
use, such as flushing toilets and watering plants. Landscaping features
contribute to water conservation and support community activities, with
play spaces and food-producing trees, shrubs, and gardens.
Performance goals for the Ecovillage include reduction of energy and
water use by 75%; reusing or composting at least 50% of waste, and generation
of at least 10% of the Ecovillage's electricity on-site from renewable
sources.
Those interested in attending the lunch and tour are asked to RSVP by
April 4 by contacting the Alumni Relations office at (859) 985-3104.
The price per person is $11 for lunch and program. The Ecovillage is
located on Jefferson St.,across from the Acton Folk Center and next to
the Berea City Park.
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