Adam Joseph Lewis Center for Environmental Studies, Oberlin

122 Elm St., Oberlin, OH 44074 (440) 775-8747 Find out more at the ENVS website at http://www.oberlin.edu/~envsTour hours: Two tours will be led through the building: 10 am and 2 pm Meet in front of the site at the Elm Street entrance.

Description:
State-of-the-art doesn't even begin to sum up the new environmental studies center at Oberlin College. This building - two stories and 13,600 square feet in size - is a learning laboratory for the most advanced ecological design concepts anywhere in the country. The project strives to have the building and the landscape work together to be pedagogical tool both exemplifying ecological design and teaching mindfulness of materials, energy efficiency, water use and wastewater recycling. The building is adaptive to changes in building systems and technology over time.

Mechanical Systems: Geothermal wells; individually controlled heat pumps; below-floor radiant coils; 100% fresh air ventilation; raised floor.

Solar Design: This building boasts 3,700 square feet of photovoltaic panels; Sun Plaza to monitor the solar year; east-west elongated orientation; daylighting for all interior spaces; direct solar gain collected through windows; Thermal mass in concrete floors and masonry walls retain and re-radiate heat; vine-covered trellis for south-side shading in the summer months.

Energy efficiency: Natural ventilation; R-30 to R-40 roof assemblies; R-21 masonry cavity-walls; integrated building controls; energy efficient lighting design (0.9 watts/sq. ft. connected lighting load); window glazing for thermal insulation and shading.

Material selection: Low-VOC materials, paints, and adhesives; exposed ceiling structure; durable, low-maintenance material; recycled materials such as steel framing; aluminum roof, windows, and curtainwall frames, ceramic tiles, and toilet partition; certified forest products; the floor and carpet tiles are leased by Interface (the manufacturer) which thus allows Interface to    re-use and recycle the components when their service life is complete.

Living Machine: Natural wastewater treatment system, powered by sunlight; designed to handle 2,000 gallons per day; replicates and accelerates natural purification processes of ponds and marshes using diverse communities of bacteria, algae, microorganisms, plants, trees, snails, and fish; recycles water for non-potable "greywater" use throughout the building.

Landscape: Indigenous landscaping featuring a microcosm of the hardwood forest common to Northern Ohio; a pond and wetland will retain, process and cleanse stormwater and run-off; orchards and gardens.

Directions:
The Center sits on the Oberlin College campus in Oberlin, Ohio.

From Cleveland... Take Route 480 West to Route 10 (towards Norwalk, exit on the left). The sign says Oberlin. Exit at the Oberlin Exit, which will lead you to Route 511. At downtown intersection of Route 511 and Professor Street (you will have passed the green space, Tappan Square, on your left), turn left. Continue through the next intersection and take an immediate right on to Elm Street.

From the South... Take 71 North to the Route 250 Exit. Take Route 250 East and follow for one or two miles. Route 98 will go off to the left. Take this until it turns into Route 58 and follow all the way into the city of Oberlin. At the downtown intersection of Route 58 and College Street, turn left. Go to the next stop light and turn left again, on to Professor Street, and turn right immediately on to Elm Street.

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Description:
This non-profit science center has been used to teach natural sciences for over 50 years. Over 12,000 students from surrounding counties attend classes at the LENSC each year, and visitors topped 120,000 in 1998.

In 1998, the Center was renovated and expanded to 23,000 square feet. During this renovation, it was decided to install a geothermal heating and cooling system. The system includes 14 WaterFurnace Spectra horizontal and vertical units totaling 68 1/2 tons. The vertical loop consists of 42 bore holes averaging 256 feet deep, located under a soccer field across the street from the Center, with supply and returns directionally bored under a road and wooded area.

How does the geothermal system work?
The closed loops use the constant temperature of the earth to heat and cool the Center. In winter, water circulating through the loops absorbs heat from the warmer earth and carries it to the geothermal unit where it is extracted, compressed to a higher temperature and distributed throughout the facility. In the summer, the unit removes heat from the building and transfers it back to the circulating water in the underground closed loop system where it is distributed into the cooler earth.

Directions:
The Center sits in Huntington Reservation in Bay Village.

From Cleveland... Take I-90 West of Cleveland and exit at Route 252 Columbia Road. Go North on Columbia to Wolf Road. Turn left (West) onto Wolf and follow Wolf until you reach the Center which will be on your right.

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16712 Chatfield Avenue, Cleveland OH 44111
216-476-3632

Tour hours: 10 am to 4 pm

Description:
This home, in the middle of a Cleveland neighborhood, demonstrates that renewable energy is not just for people with a lot of land. The system includes 240 watts of photovoltaics from Kyocera, as well as a 500-watt wind turbine from Windseeker. This system is utility-intertied and net-metered, so that the owner can receive full retail credit for electricity that gets sent back into the utility grid.

Also at this site are a variety of alternative transportation systems. Gary has a 1983 VW Rabbit that has been converted to a battery-powered electric vehicle (EV). The conversion kit was made by Electro Automotive of California, and was purchased already installed in the Rabbit. Gary uses his battery powered lawnmower to cut grass. His wife, Pauline, owns a Honda Insight, a hybrid car with both an electric motor and a smaller combustion engine. Thus far, their car has averaged 59 miles per gallon! A gizmo, a neighborhood electric vehicle which has a range of 45 miles and goes as fast as 40 mph, will also be on display.

Directions:
From the East or West... Get on I - 90 to the West of downtown Cleveland and exit at McKinley Road, which is between the Warren and Hilliard exits. Go South (away from the lake), about 200 yards until it ends at the Metropark valley edge.

Turn left onto Rocky River Drive which will go through a long sweeping curve until it straightens out and you are heading south, still on Rocky River Drive. Proceed until you come to the Kamms Corners shopping area at Lorain Road. Cross over Lorain and turn East (left) at the first traffic light which is Chatfield Ave. See last bit below.

From the South OR from the East or West parts of lower Cuyahoga County...
Take I - 480 to the Grayton Road Exit which is right by Hopkins Airport. Turn North (left) until Grayton Road ends into Puritas Road. Turn right onto Puritas until you get to Rocky River Drive, which has a Catholic Church, Taco Bell, CVS Drugstore, and Drug Mart. Go North (left) three traffic lights and turn East (right) onto Chatfield Ave.

The house is a quarter mile down on the left, with the house number 16712 posted above the front door. There will be a USA Flag out front of our light gray 1910 colonial house. Solar panels are mounted on the front of the house.

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3500 Lorain Road, Cleveland OH

Tour hours: Two tours will be led through the future home of the Cleveland Environmental Center at 2 pm and 4 pm. Meet in the lobby of the CEC and check out plans for the projects outlined below before the tours.

Description:
Several exciting green building projects are "in-the-works" on Cleveland's West Side. This gathering of plans for these three projects will be an opportunity to come examine these projects and see what will be completed over the next couple of years in the area. Plans and models will be set up at the future home of the Cleveland Environmental Center. Tours of the Center's building will also be conducted at 2 pm and 4 pm.

Directions:
The future Cleveland Environmental Center is in Cleveland's Ohio City neighborhood.

From the East Side... Take Carnegie Ave, through the downtown area and cross over the Cuyahoga River on the Lorain-Carnegie Bridge. Pass the West Side Market at W. 25th Street and continue on Lorain. The future CEC will be on your right at the northeast corner at the intersection of Fulton and Lorain. Park along the street or in the small lot to the east of the building.

From I-90...Take I-90 West of Cleveland and exit at West 41st/44th Streets. Take West 41st Street North to Lorain Ave. Turn East (right) onto Lorain. The building is at the northeast corner at the intersection of Fulton and Lorain. Park along the street or in the small lot to the east of the building.

PROJECTS:

West 65th Rapid Transit Station: This station will take advantage of many green building features: · Passive solar design through large windows on the south side of the building, · Using recycled metal in the construction of the building, · Benches made from recycled tires, · A decorative rosetta window made from recycled glass · native landscaping. The station will also hold a police mini-station, retail space, and community space to promote neighborhood organizations.

EcoVillage Townhomes: As part of the Cleveland EcoVillage project, the Detroit-Shoreway Community Development Organization, with EcoCity Cleveland, is developing 20 green townhomes on West 58th Street. These homes will feature energy efficient design, use of local green and recycled materials, native landscaping, and daylighting.

Several of the first townhomes will also have photovoltaics included; other townhome owners will be encouraged to use pv as well. The DSCDO and EcoCity Cleveland hope to make this one of the country?s first residential LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) projects. The LEED standard is the definitive standard currently being developed for what constitutes green design.

Cleveland Environmental Center: The Cleveland Environmental Center is a green building retrofit of a 25,000 square foot historic bank building to create a regional center for non-profit environmental organizations. The partnership team aims to create a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rated building retrofit, while meeting strict historic preservation guidelines. Green building principles employed in the project include:

· Integration of solar panels and hydrogen fuel cells to generate electricity

· Geothermal heating and cooling, energy efficient fixtures and insulated windows to reduce energy use and create a comfortable work environment

· Demonstration living roof to reduce storm water runoff and decrease rooftop temperatures· Use of local materials and suppliers to cut down on transportation costs and spur the local economy

· Nontoxic, non-volatile organic compound (VOC) emitting paints and carpets to create healthy indoor air

· Shared services among the nonprofit tenants, including shower and locker facilities, copy center, conference room, kitchen, and storage.

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Joseph M. Gallagher Middle School, Detroit Shoreway neighborhood, Cleveland

6601 Franklin Blvd (Solar Panels at rear of school on Bridge Avenue and West 65th) Cleveland, OH Tour hours: There are no tours at this site, but please drive by while you are in the neighborhood to see the first Solar School in the City of Cleveland!

Description:
The Detroit Shoreway Community Development Organization dedicated the first ever solar panel system in the Cleveland Municipal School District at this school on June 1, 2001.  The panels are installed with a data collection system that is connected to school computers which allow students to monitor the electricity produced by the panels.

The Ohio Energy Project will provide teachers with in-service training on the panels and the data collection system, as well as provide supporting curriculum materials. Gallagher Middle was selected because of its close proximity to a federally funded urban revitalization project called the Cleveland EcoVillage which is centered around the West 65th Street and Lorain Avenue area.

Directions:
From "In-the-Works" Projects location... Take Lorain West to West 65th Street. Turn North (right) on West 65th. At Bridge Ave. you will see the solar installation to your left.