The Ecovillage is an ecologically-sustainable residential and learning complex designed to meet housing needs for student families, childcare for campus children, and provide a living/labor opportunity for students interested in sustainability. The complex includes 50 apartments, a state-of-the-art Child Development Laboratory (CDL), a Commons House, and a Sustainability and Environmental Studies (SENS) demonstration house. Key features of the Ecovillage apartments include solar tubes and compact fluorescent lighting, low-flow toilets and showerheads, low-VOC carpets and paints, ceiling fans, and outdoor clotheslines for drying clothes. In additional to individual garden plots for each apartment, the Ecovillage also includes several raised garden beds and a permaculture “food forest” for all residents’ use. The SENS House includes additional features such as a timber frame from College-harvested wood, natural building techniques, a composting toilet, and a net-metering solar electric system. The community’s sewage is converted to swimmable quality water by an “ecological machine,” which is composed of a series of tanks filled with plants, fish, and other aquaculture. Much of this water is recycled to flush toilets in the Ecovillage. The sustainability goals of the Ecovillage include reducing energy use by 75%, reducing per capita water use by 75%, and reusing or composting at least 50% of waste. Regular Ecovillage tours are offered on Thursdays at 1:00 p.m. and Saturdays at 10:00 a.m. Please contact the Ecovillage Coordinator to RSVP for scheduled tours.
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