News Updates - CGCC Begins Campaign to Construct Outdoor...

News Updates: CGCC Begins Campaign to Construct Outdoor "Green" Classroom

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CGCC Begins Campaign to Construct Outdoor "Green" Classroom

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Imagine an outdoor classroom that uses the sun and wind to save and generate energy. A “living” classroom designed to teach students about sustainability and environmental technology through hands-on learning and interaction.

Chandler-Gilbert Community College students and faculty are looking forward to this vision becoming a reality as the college begins a fundraising campaign to secure materials, labor donations, and financial support from local businesses and the community in order to construct an Environmental Technology Center on the college's Pecos campus.

CGCC’s first partner with the project, Jan Lorant, principal of Gabor Lorant Architects Inc., has volunteered more than 300 hours to date, consulting, site planning and designing the Environmental Technology Center, and expects to expend another 280 hours through the construction phase of the project.

“I believe strongly that school facilities, and particularly higher education facilities, should demonstrate environmental awareness to the youth of this country,” Lorant said. “What better place to show your commitment to education and your planet than at a college campus that is providing leadership in this all-important arena? This is my way of contributing to that ambitious and valuable effort.”

The Environmental Technology Center will be a 1,200 square-foot open classroom with solar panels, amphitheater-style seating, and energy monitoring devices, surrounded by demonstration areas, gardens, wind turbines, and environmental education information kiosks.

The idea for the Environmental Technology Center was proposed by CGCC philosophy professor Darien Ripple. Ripple, who is completing his Ph.D. in Sustainability from Prescott College, said the goal of the Center is to provide a low-impact and cost-efficient living classroom that will serve as a hub for environmental education and resources for CGCC students, local schools, non-profit programs, and community members.

“Instead of learning about concepts of sustainability in a textbook, students can gain hands-on experience calculating the amount of power wind turbines and solar panels can produce or how to build ‘green’ buildings,” Ripple said. “This type of active learning creates greater student engagement and gives students a chance to internalize what they are learning.”

Ripple said that students across all academic disciplines, including engineering, science, geology, history, philosophy, communications, and information technology will work on projects focusing on diverse topics relating to sustainability.

The college will also use the Environmental Technology Center for K – 12 outreach, bringing in students from elementary and high schools to see and touch the technology used to calculate alternative energy production, learn about native desert plants, plant community gardens, and focus on the various issues of environmentalism.

CGCC’s interim president Dr. Linda Lujan said that Gabor Lorant Architects' help and insight in environmental design has been vital to the development of the project.

“We hope that other local businesses and community members see the importance and value of the Environmental Technology Center and contribute to this grass roots community project,” Lujan said.

For more information about the CGCC’s Environmental Technology Center or to make a donation, call (480) 732-7030 or access http://www.cgc.edu/etc.

CGCC is located at 2626 E. Pecos Rd. in Chandler.

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Press Release Date

11/12/2009

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