The McLean Environmental Living and Learning Center at Northland College in Ashland, Wisconsin, has been called "one of the most environmentally advanced residence halls in the world," and few people would argue with that description.
The 90 students living in the so-called "green" dorm pay extra to live with waterless toilets, recycled furniture, wind generators and solar panels, but most people in the hall say they're glad to do so, the Associated Press reports.
A small liberal arts college near Lake Superior, Northland College has emphasized environmental studies and issues for nearly three decades. The college built the innovative living center in 1998 to give students an example of an environmentally-efficient building that was also livable.
The center has since been recognized by the American Institute of Architects as one of the top 10 examples of viable architecture that protects and enhances the environment, and by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Center of Excellence for Sustainable Development.
Based partially on Northland's success, the president of the U.S. Green Building Council told AP there could be more than two dozen such "green" dorms in the works by mid-2001.
Among the center’s resource-saving features are a high-efficiency natural gas boiler and high-efficiency light fixtures and appliances. Other items include organic-based linoleum floors instead of petroleum-based vinyl, and cedar shakes on the exterior walls that came from local mills, to reduce the impact of transportation on the environment.
"It’s great —- it’s such a way of life already," said Kelsey Forrest of Burnsville, Minnesota. Forrest is an environmental studies major and shares an apartment in the dormitory with five other women.
Forrest pays $2,400 for the school year to live in the center -- higher rent than other dorms on campus -- but said she is happy to be there because "there’s a lot more we can do, and I think this is a good starting point."
Other students in the dorm said the center should be an example for the rest of the country to follow, and that they feel more aware of environmental issues since they began living there.
Ali Fischer, president of the U.S. Student Association, told the news services that most colleges are too financially strapped to consider dorms similar to Northland's $4.1 million center.
But Northland officials say the facility is actually saving them money, because it exceeds energy and water efficiency goals they'd set for the structure.
Full text of the article is currently found at:
http://washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/
articles/A35445-2000Dec6.html
