| Berea
College will hold a public dedication ceremony and grand opening of the
recently completed Ecovillage on Friday, May 13, 2005 from 5:00 – 6:30
p.m. The event, which is the first in a yearlong series of events focusing
on different aspects of the village, will celebrate the completion of
the Ecovillage, recognize the donors who have helped fund its construction,
and offer the public a closer look at this new feature in the Berea community.
The event’s activities will begin at 5:00 p.m. with a performance
by the Berea College Bluegrass Ensemble. A dedication ceremony will
take place at 5:30 p.m., featuring a performance by children from the
Ecovillage’s Boyd and Gaynell Fowler Child Development Laboratory.
Berea College Board of Trustees Chair Elizabeth Culbreth, Berea President
Larry D. Shinn, and graduating senior Sharonda Griffin, a student resident/parent,
will make remarks. Following the dedication ceremony, guests can tour
various components of the Ecovillage, enjoy refreshments, and watch
a newly produced “eco video,” titled Living Upstream, that
the College produced in conjunction with the Kentucky and U.S. Division
of Energy and Rebuild America.
Located on Jefferson Street, the Berea College Ecovillage is an innovative
development that demonstrates energy-reducing and environmentally friendly
building techniques. As the only ecovillage in Kentucky, Berea's Ecovillage
continues the College's long-standing commitment to good stewardship
of natural, human, and material resources. Designed to meet extremely
high ecological, social, and educational performance standards, Berea's
Ecovillage addresses the well-being and education of student residents
and offers a model of sustainable living to the Appalachian region
as well as the wider world. The Ecovillage incorporates a wide range
of "green design" elements and technologies to reduce energy
and water use, including passive solar gain, photovoltaic panels, super
insulation, dual flush toilets, low-flow showerheads, a composting
toilet and roof-top capture of rainwater.
Components of the Ecovillage are: 32 new student-family townhouses
with eco-friendly elements; an information kiosk that also demonstrates
straw bale building technology; a Commons House for laundry facilities,
mailboxes, kitchen, dining, study, and meeting space; an ecological
machine which uses natural, non-chemical processes to treat all Ecovillage
wastewater for non-potable uses; the Boyd and Gaynell Fowler Child
Development Laboratory (CDL) which provides high quality child care
and enhanced early education experiences for children of College students,
faculty staff and the community; a Sustainability and Environmental
Studies (SENS) House which is a demonstration and teaching facility
where four SENS students live and work; and landscaping with fruit
trees and vegetable gardens that require less water.
Performance goals for the Ecovillage include reducing energy and water
use by 75%; generating electricity on-site from renewable sources;
treating wastewater and storm water on-site to swimmable quality, and
recycling or re-using at least 50% of its solid waste.
Throughout the coming year, Berea College will host a number of events,
including conferences, lectures, and workshops, as part of the College’s “Year
of the Ecovillage.” The events will be targeted to individuals
and groups, such as architects, building contractors, early childhood
educators and providers, environmental educators, and others interested
in eco-friendly building practices, reducing energy consumption, and
sustainable living practices.
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