EcoHouse
From GrinnellWiki
Contents |
Goals, purpose, and philosophy
- Testing ground for green technology
- Demonstration house
- Locus for skill sharing/learning
- Home of sustainability studies
- Hub of environmental discourse
To learn more, check out the Ecohouse Proposal (pdf file).
History
Student initiative, Energy subgroup, meetings in fall 2007, project proposal, battalions, summer 2008.
Current, past, and future projects and events
Spring 2009
Bringing prairie researcher Wes Jackson to campus for a presentation. Working on the garden, perhaps starting a community garden.
Fall 2008
In August of 2008 before students returned to campus, Facilities Management (FM) contracted out the insulation of the house. Students residing in EcoHouse during the summer were originally planning to provide the actual labor, but due to time constraints, could not. The r-value, or relative effectiveness of the insulation, is 27.
EcoHouse has hosted a couple of events. The first was a "House Warming, Not Global Warming" party the first weekend of the 2008-2009 school year. On September 19, 2008, EcoHouse hosted a local foods banquet. On the menu was a goat from CERA, a Farmers Market vegetable stew, and Ahrens Park apple crisp.
As part of the original intent of the house, three students partook in two separate independent studies during the fall of 2008.
Summer 2008
Residents of EcoHouse in the summer of 2008 conducted a number of projects, mainly involving landscaping. The front lawn was turned into the Prairie and a Hidatsa-style garden was cultivated behind the house
Future projects
Battalions
EcoHouse gets shit done by working in battalions.
Current and past residents
Summer 2008
- Hart Ford-Hodges
- Jacob Gjesdahl
- Anna Harrington
- Erica Hougland
- Hanna Liebl
- Eric Nost
- Neal Wepking
Fall 2008
- Sam Calisch
- Shyam Deshpande
- Hart Ford-Hodges
- Jacob Gjesdahl
- Christine Grummon
- Eric Nost
- Nathan Pavlovic
- Alex Reich
- Hannah Sagin
- Neal Wepking
- Rhubarb the cat
Spring 2009
- Shyam Deshpande
- Jacob Gjesdahl
- Christine Grummon
- Ethan Heppner
- Eric Nost
- Nathan Pavlovic
- Alex Reich
- Hannah Sagin
- Jordan Scheibel
- Caitlin Vaughan
- Neal Wepking
Resources
Data
Main article: EcoHouse data
EcoHouse has slowly begun the process of measuring energy and water usage, and waste. That means they have measured the flushing of the downstairs toilet for one and a half weeks. The house will soon receive a monitoring system that will track energy, water, and natural gas consumption and output the raw data to a computer in the house.
Project Documents
EcoHouse library
EcoHouse has tons of books on ecology, energy efficient design, and gardening, as well as cookbooks! Come over to borrow one!
Examples of other EcoHouses
- Macalester EcoHouse
- EcoHouse Green Venture EcoHouse
- KU Ad Astra House
- Village Homes - Davis, CA
- Cypress Villages - Fairfield, IA
- Dancing Rabbit EcoVillage
- Green Communities
- UMaryland EcoHouse
- OhioU EcoHouse
- Rochester EcoHouse
- Berkeley EcoHouse
- Denison Homestead
Green Technologies
Green Building
- GreenBuild 365
- Green Advantage Environmental Certification
- U.S. Green Building Council - Build Green Schools
