Macalester College Eco-House is one of the many specialty housing options available to students at Macalester College after their first year. The Eco-House is the project of Chris Wells, assistant professor of environmental studies, and began in fall 2007 with the move-in of four student residents. In the summer of 2007, prior to its opening, the Eco-House underwent significant "green" renovations in order to make the 1950s-era house livable and to decrease its environmental footprint.
| Macalester College Eco-House | |
|---|---|
| General information | |
| Location | 200 Vernon Street, St. Paul, Minnesota |
| Website | |
| https://www.macalester.edu/ecohouse | |
The vision for the project
editThe Eco-House is intended as a place for students to "explore practical green-living lifestyles, to test the effectiveness of new green technologies, and to work with community partners to develop better resources on green renovations and sustainable lifestyles".[1] The house is also intended as a laboratory for testing the cost effectiveness and energy use of a variety of technologies and home renovations. Eco-House residents also host events, and workshops to draw attention to environmental issues on campus and to share energy-saving and environmentally friendly living techniques with the Macalester-Groveland community.
Renovations
editThe renovations for the Macalester College Eco-House took place in the summer of 2007 and were conducted with a budget of $50,000 with the intent of making both affordable changes and including a few showcase items for the house that could be used as examples of environmentally friendly renovations for the college community.
These renovations included:[2]
- Additional wall and attic insulation
- Stone coated steel shingling with an average lifespan of around 70 years
- Solar heated hot water from a solar panel on the garage roof
- Compact fluorescent lighting
- SolarTube skylight in the bathroom
- Aerated sinks and showerhead
- Dual-flush toilet
- Energy Star rated appliances (refrigerator, dishwasher, washer, dryer )
- Paperstone countertops in the kitchen and bathroom
- Glass block basement windows
Community Garden
editThe grounds of the Macalester College Eco-House includes a student-designed edible forest garden. The garden is managed by the student organization MULCH and features environmentally friendly native plants chosen to attract beneficial insects, promote soil fertility and provide food.[3] The Eco-House is home to Macalester's flock of backyard chickens, also tended to by MULCH.[4]
Press Coverage
editThe Eco-House has also been the subject of much attention in local media, with large media outlets such as the Star Tribune newspaper[5] and Minnesota Public Radio News[6] both doing stories on the project, as well as The Villager[7] and a variety of Macalester College publications.[8][9]
References
edit- ^ "Macalester College EcoHouse".
- ^ "Macalester College EcoHouse - House Features". Archived from the original on 2012-10-28. Retrieved 2012-02-21.
- ^ "Macalester College EcoHouse - Landscaping". www.macalester.edu. Retrieved 2020-12-05.
- ^ "MULCH - Chickens". www.macalester.edu. Retrieved 2020-12-05.
- ^ Carlson, Kim. "Reading, Writing and Being Green". Star Tribune.
- ^ Hughes, Art. "Macalester's eco-house is both student housing and lab". MPR News.
- ^ Crotti, Nancy. "Mac house is model of green remodeling" (PDF). The Villager.
- ^ LaChance, Danny. "Eco Abode" (PDF). Macalester Today.
- ^ Howland, Emily. "Is it as earthy crunchy as it sounds? Eco House residents reveal all" (PDF).