Greening of Aiken Educational Aspects

1. UVM Actions Outside Signs The outdoor signs were designed to be hung outside of the New Green Aiken Center and inform people about the renovation. Greening of AikenEducational Aspects Indoor Signs Our Focus and Goals The indoor informational signs are the permanent signs that will educate occupants of the Green Aiken Center of how the building strives towards sustainability. The educational aspects group has focused on creating some mediums through which the public will be informed of the many ways in which the new Green Aiken Center will be an environmentally responsible place. The group created a series of temporary, outdoor signs that have been posted along the construction fence to give passers-by an idea of what the renovated Aiken will be like and explain some of its green features. Also, members of the group have designed and composed wording for a series of interior informational signs that will educate occupants of and visitors to the building and will be hung inside upon its completion. By working with green building experts and LEED data, the group has created a system through which the education of students, faculty, and the public on sustainability at UVM and green technologies will be possible. The design for the signs that our group came up with is for each sign to be made from sugar maple from the Jericho Research forest and have the information burned into the wood. Did You Know? These facts are the type of information on the indoor signs of the New Green Aiken Center This image was designed to go on each of the signs inside the building. • The electrical energy supplied to the Aiken Center is supplemented by an offsite • photovoltaic system. • An EcoMachine, or biological waste water treatment system, is used to treat all the waste water in the Aiken Center. • All rooms are equipped with motion sensor devices that turn off the lights when spaces are unoccupied. • The Aiken Center’s green roof gives members of the Rubenstein School a chance to research and experiment with various soil media and plants for green roofs. • Low-flow faucets, showers, toilets, and urinals, in combination with the EcoMachine gray water system, result in a total reduction in water use of 52% from that of the old Aiken Center. • The renovation of the Aiken Center reduced the building's carbons emissions from approximately 19 tons of CO2/ft.2/year to 7 tons of CO2/ft.2/year. • The Aiken center will have vermicomposting which is a low tech, small scale way of composting food scraps in an enclosed box using worms. Educational Aspects Group: Advisors: Alan MacIntosh and Michelle Smith Group Members: Marissa Patti, Colleen Horigan, Paige Cornell, Alex Marcucci and Mike Frank