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| First sustainability center projects begin |
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| Written by Jessica Mullins -Argonaut | ||||||
| Tuesday, 07 November 2006 | ||||||
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Senior architecture student Maura Martin didn’t know about the University of Idaho Sustainability Center (UISC) until she heard about the Sim Van der Ryn lecture and design workshop. The event on Oct. 31 was the first part of a project proposed by sophomore architecture student Jens Carlson to redesign five rooms in Shoup Hall, home to the UISC. Like Martin, many people at UI are becoming more aware of the UISC as the first two student proposals begin. One other proposal underway will create a multimedia interactive map focusing on the green areas of campus. Carlson’s proposal outlined a three-week student competition to develop plans, focused on sustainability, for the UISC remodel. “Architects will be in the forefront of leading change to sustainable living,” Carlson said. The lecture and workshop were helpful, Martin said. “I think if the school did (things like this) more often it would be great,” Martin said. “There was a lot of cross disciplinary people taking part in this.” Each semester the student-run UISC will sponsor about five student-led projects that promote sustainability on campus and in the community. This is the student-initiated and student-fee funded center’s first semester of operation. Van der Ryn led the design workshop, called a design charette. The event was for students to create ideas for the UISC redesign. About 50 students attended the workshop in the Commons Whitewater Room. The students formed groups and were given a set of guidelines for the design. Van der Ryn talked about how materials create space and that it is important to consider what story a place tells and what it means, said senior Rose Keller, UISC director. Martin said she was impressed by Van der Ryn, who visited UI to lead the workshop. “I thought he was very nice and very approachable,” she said. “He was friendly and listened to what everyone had to say.” Carlson contacted Van der Ryn early in the semester and to begin discussion about the architect coming to UI. The deadline for the redesign plans is Wednesday. A judging panel will choose three finalist teams, which will be announced on Friday. The finalists will present their projects in front of the panel. The panel and UISC staff will then help the teams develop their projects further. The program has generated a lot of interest across the campus, Keller said. The redesign process of the UISC is expected to take a while due to limited funding, she said. Keller said she hopes they will find a lot of outside support for the project, such as companies willing to donate products or money. Other student projects for this fall are in different stages of negotiation, said Claudia Hemphill Pine, UISC communications coordinator. Student project proposals submitted this semester to the UISC covered subjects such as recycling and wetland revitalization proposals. “The proposals touched on a lot of important areas,” Hemphill Pine said. But there were no proposals for areas such as energy efficiency, electronics efficiency, water conservation and global warming, she said. Some of these ideas are already being worked on for spring semester proposals, though. UISC student proposals are reviewed by the UISC staff and UISC Campus Community Advisory Board. The advisory board provides more support for the UISC and is made of two faculty members, one staff member, two ASUI representatives, one GPSA representative and one Student Bar Association representative. Senior Jed Kleppen submitted the proposal to create a multimedia interactive map titled “Our Green Campus.” He received the green light to move forward with his project on Oct. 27. Keller said the UISC staff liked Kleppen’s proposal because it focused on an interdisciplinary aspect of campus. The five members of Kleppen’s team are all from different campus departments including business, engineering, psychology and sociology. Kleppen found his team members in a variety of ways such as talking to people and referencing his black book. “I’ve learned to hire for character because you can train skill,” Kleppen said. Everyone on Kleppen’s team is passionate about the project, Keller said. The map will have links to “green” areas, or sustainability-friendly areas, on campus. Each link will go to a 45-second video on the area. The team has already started filming. There are places on campus that exemplify sustainability that no one knows about, Kleppen said. “There are a lot of great ideas that don’t get the exposure they deserve,” Kleppen said. Green spots on campus include the UI steam plant, the reclaimed water irrigation system and the Administration Building lawn, a nationally protected forest, he said. As far as the UISC staff and Kleppen know, the map is the only one of its kind for colleges in the United States. The tentative completion of the map is slated for the later part of January, Kleppen said. The sustainability center efforts are going well, said Hemphill Pine, one of the UI students who developed the plan for the UISC. “We have come further and faster than other schools, with fewer resources and less amounts of money,” she said. The center is way ahead of student expectations, Hemphill Pine said. “We want this center to be somewhere for students to come and get involved,” Keller said. The focus of the center will always be students being empowered. It is able to do this by providing students with hands-on experience, Hemphill Pine said. “Everyone on this campus knows how to talk about collaboration,” Hemphill Pine said. “But a lot of students don’t get to take classes outside their department.” Students can come to the UISC and build networks, Keller said. As a result, the UISC will get stronger and stronger, she said.  Add as favorites (56) | Views: 775
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