Green Building Tour! October 1st, 2011

Green Building Tour Coming Up: Sign Up ASAP!

SEEDS is hosting a bus tour of buildings in the region that have used renewable energy, high efficiency, and other conservation measures to save money and resources. It will be on Saturday, October 1st, 2011 and run from 8 AM to 5 PM. The cost is $25. per person. SEEDS urges people to sign up as soon as possible as there is limited space, by calling Kathy at (570) 698-6173 or e-mailing Kathy@seedsgroup.net. The bus will depart from the rte. 6 Mall east of Honesdale. Bring a bag lunch. No high heels, please, as green roofs don’t like them. SEEDS has offered numerous forums on conservation, efficiency, and renewable energy over the past three years. This tour is an opportunity to see some of that information put into practice. We will visit both private homes and public buildings.

TRIP HIGHLIGHTS:

• Western Wayne School District’s new school in Hamlin, described as the state’s first full-green elementary school, one of whose features is a sewage treatment system that utilizes the cleaning power of wetlands.

• Several residences that feature various efficiency and renewable energy strategies such as passive and active solar, super-insulation and air-sealed envelopes, salvaged materials, geothermal heating and cooling, smart water management, and measures to improve indoor air quality. One house is a beautifully remodeled modular. Another has a solar-vented geodesic dome greenhouse.

• Marywood School of Architecture building, renovated as a LEED Gold-certified structure and designed to teach students about principles of sustainable design. It also has a green roof which will be included in the visit. LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) is an internationally recognized certification system for green building construction.

• A high performance building housing an Animal Hospital, designed by architects Bakker & Lewis, built on a “brownfield” site–formerly a spoil area for construction debris. Among its many innovations are smart storm water management, natural lighting, and energy recovery units.

Partial funding for this trip is provided by Green Field Energy Solutions. “Sustainability: Making Greener Choices in Energy & the Environment” education program funded by DEP Environmental Education Grants Program.