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ENVIRONMENTAL
EDUCATION AT OBERLIN DURING THE LAST DECADE The major environmental educational programs in addition to the academic curriculum include: Adam Joseph Lewis Center for Environmental Studies, Black River Watershed programs, Oberlin Sustainable Agriculture Project, Clark Farm and associated Ecological Design Innovation Center, Cleveland Green Building Coalition, EcoCity Cleveland, 2020 Proposal, and Taking Responsibility: Developing Strategies Toward Environmental Restoration and Sustainability at Oberlin College. All of these projects provide numerous learning experiences for college students and other members of the Oberlin Community. Each of these projects as well as the curriculum illustrates aspects of Oberlin's capacity to provide a model for environmental education, but at this time the Lewis Center is Oberlin's most unique, illustrative example. The planning, building, and operation of the Lewis Center (officially dedicated in September 2000) establishes a model for community based environmental education and demonstrates the truly unique potential Oberlin now has for national leadership not only in environmental education but also for demonstrating the capacity to achieve more durable patterns of habitation. The goals in the building process and then in the operation of the Lewis Center were to be as “green” as possible and to be educational. The building process is over and illustrates approaches that are more environmentally appropriate than standard methods. The building process and materials employed were selected so as not to compromise human health or harm the environment in Oberlin, or elsewhere, during the building process and after. Recycled materials were extensively used. The wood used was from forests certified as sustainably managed. Low volatile organic compounds were used throughout while toxic glues, paints, and adhesives were eliminated or minimized. The upholstery on the auditorium seats can be composted for the garden or eaten directly without ill effects. The carpet and raised floor are leased from Interface Corporation and will be replaced as required while the used materials will be recycled. In a greenhouse-like structure, a "living machine" stocked with a host of microbes, plants, and animals purifies all waste water much as wetlands do. The reclaimed water is recycled for flushing toilets, and when health department approval is granted, it will be used for watering the orchard, garden, and a miniature native Ohio forest that grow around the building. Next to the Lewis Center a pond and drainage area create habitat for small animals and fish as well as reeds, grasses, pond lilies, and other native plants. The Lewis Center has been recognized by many from the US Department of Energy to the New York Times as a noteworthy architectural and design benchmark. Public and private institutions including several colleges are seeking to emulate the Lewis Center project with their own high performance buildings. Dozens of requests via mail, email, fax, and phone from the US and overseas are made each week to Lewis Center staff for information and advice. People are daily requesting and being given tours. The Lewis Center has become a popular place for campus events of all types because of its naturally-lit, multipurpose atrium as well as its unique character. |
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