Building on its 25-year history of offering quality environmental education programming for K-12th grade students, Merry Lea Environmental Learning Center of Goshen College will offer a Master of Arts in Environmental Education program – the college’s first master’s degree. The Higher Learning Commission of North Central Association of…
"So why did they use two-by-six-inch studs instead of two-by-fours?" asks a student, prompted by the worksheet in her hand. Another student is figuring out how a ground source heat pump works, and a third has abandoned the worksheet and asks, "Where can I buy low VOC [volatile organic compounds] paint?"
A windmill spins in the breeze atop its hundred-foot tower; glycol oozes through pipes underground on its journey to and from ground source heat pump units; downspouts funnel water into a cistern for later use flushing toilets.
As Merry Lea Environmental Learning Center celebrated the launching of phase one of its "green" collegiate facility on May 4, friends, board members, local officials and representatives from Goshen College joined in ceremonies not to break ground, but to better care for it.
When it comes to fundraising for a building project, especially a "green" one, it is sometimes helpful to plant a seed in order to glimpse the overall potential for the facility. With a decision to build its new complex in two phases, construction will begin on Merry Lea Environmental Center¬s long-awaited collegiate facility this summer.
Merry Lea Environmental Center's plans for a collegiate facility received a boost April 27 when Executive Director Luke Gascho opened his mail and found a check for $150,000.
