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BY BETTY JESPERSEN
Staff writer 06/17/2008

enlarge Photo by the University of Maine at Farmington

Grace Eason, UMF associate professor of science and science education and author of UMF’s U.S. Green Building Council grant, will work closely with students as they offer tours of the University’s Education Center featuring its geothermal heating and cooling system; double-insulated window glazing; recycled seat belt chair webbing and environmentally-friendly sunflower seed hull wall panels.

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FARMINGTON -- The University of Maine at Farmington has been awarded a $20,000 grant from the U.S. Green Building Council to develop a curriculum that can be used to further the "green" building movement.

The Excellence in Green Building Curriculum Recognition Awards and Incentive Grants program is a central part of the Council's commitment to promote innovative green building educational programs and share them with educators across the country, according to the Council's Web site.

The competitive grant program recognizes elementary through college-level programs that promote environmentally responsible and sustainable building design, construction and operation and their impact on individuals and communities.

UMF proposes to use the Education Center and Francis Allen Black Hall, two buildings recognized under the Council's rating system known as Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, as teaching tools for students, teachers and community members.

"This is the dream," said UMF President Theodora J. Kalikow in a release. "We've constructed the kind of buildings at UMF that showcase the economic and environmental benefits of sustainable building practices to help inspire tomorrow's leaders."

The grant project, developed by Grace Eason, UMF associate professor of science and science education, focuses on creating a multi-level program based on the buildings' green characteristics and how they are examples of environmental stewardship.

"This is an opportunity for educators to provide their students with economically sound and practical alternatives to how they use resources," Eason said. "The smallest change in how we live our lives can have a huge impact on our environment."

As an example of some of the green features in the UMF Education Center are a geothermal heating and cooling system; double-insulated window glazing; recycled seat belt chair webbing; and wall panels made out of sunflower seed hulls.

The Building Council will use the materials created by the award- winning schools and organizations to build up a database that will be made available to educators nationwide. Additionally, at its Greenbuild 2008 International Conference and Expo in Boston this fall, UMF and other winners will be among those showcasing their work in the green building movement.

UMF faculty members Rebecca Berger, associate professor of elementary education; Andrea Freed, assistant professor of science education; and Sarah Hardy, associate professor of mathematics, will also be working on this grant project.

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