From June 23-27, 20 teachers attended the second week of Summer STEM Academies for Educators, which included a program in green homes. Green home design is an approach to building that minimizes harmful effects on the environment and personal well-being. Each day, educators participated in lectures, tours and a multitude of hands-on activities in green architecture, energy efficiency, indoor air quality and environmentally sustainable materials. The Architecture, Carpentry, Electrical, and HVAC departments participated in these outreach activities.
“Green Homes teachers had a blast and all of our faculty were so welcoming and eager to teach them skills they didn’t think they had,” said STEM Pathway Development Coordinator Barbara Bragg. “They toured through Architecture, Carpentry, our new Freight Farm Hydroponic Container, the Electrical division, and HVAC. Their projects included identifying green building materials with a matching game, building a wall using green methods, upcycling & repurposing a used item, wiring an electrical outlet, an energy audit, learning how to program a thermostat and more.”
On June 25, Architectural Technology Department Head Missy Borchardt and Architectural Technology Instructor Kelley Raftery took the group on a tour of Crossroads College Preparatory School and construction company Alberici to learn about each organization’s sustainability efforts. During the tour, Alberici CEO John Alberici also paid the group a surprise visit to discuss their headquarters’ green design and building methods, its wind generator and the natural green space surrounding the building.