Sharp Sustainability Education Center: Building Environmental Systems
The Sustainability Center Building Environmental Systems
As a showcase for sustainable and green practices, the Sustainability Center will include key environmental systems.
Initial Phase
Geothermal Field – A geothermal system will be in place to provide heating and cooling for the building.
Energy-Efficient Appliances and Lighting – Compact fluorescent bulbs and control switches when no one in the room, adjust to existing ambient lighting levels.
Water-saving Toilets – High-quality, high-efficiency toilets will be included in the Center’s men’s and women’s comfort facilities, and a waterless urinal in the men’s room.
Location – The Sustainability Center is adjacent to natural wetland and woodland areas surrounding the College which can serve as a starting point for field courses and tours to these areas.
Future Plans
Solar Greenhouse – Attached to the Sustainability Center will be a small (248 square feet), garden based greenhouse. Here students can learn greenhouse management techniques, start plants for the outside garden, extend the growing season, and actually grow crops over the winter season. In addition to germinating seedlings and planting experiments, the greenhouse will also contribute to the Center’s heating.
Weather Monitoring Equipment – Special devices will be used to collect long and short term data to track local weather conditions.
Solar Panels – Angled roof sections above the entire structure of Phase I will include solar photovoltaic panels, as well as a major portion of Phase II.
Wind Generator – A small-scale "wind turbine," appropriate for many locations in New Jersey and the Eastern United States, will produce some of the building’s electricity. The wind generator is the fastest growing energy technology in the world today, one that will likely be a major energy source for the United States in the next ten to twenty years.
Organic Gardens – The organic garden is a central component of the Ecological Agriculture and Appropriate Technology courses. A photovoltaic-powered water pump will provide water to the garden from a well. A raised tank will use gravity to power distribution to the gardens, and also demonstrate a viable technology used worldwide.
Solar Hot Water Heater – This unit will provide the hot water for the building.
Native Permaculture Plantings – The building’s landscaping will require minimal maintenance in its design and material. Various permaculture plantings will illustrate lessons about the importance of native plants, and of the relationship between plants, terrain, and climate.
