Going Green?

BY CALEB< PANTHER BLOGGER

Hey Ya’ll,

As I stated in my last blog post, I am currently majoring in Environmental Science, which means I get to do a lot of hands-on research projects. One of the biggest projects I have been working on so far is helping plan and design Ferrum College’s new Eco-Dorm.

Riddick Hall

Now some of you may be asking what is an Eco-Dorm? Well the funny thing is that is the exact question my professor Dr. Stevens asked my Introduction to Environmental Science (ESC 110) class last semester; what makes it even funnier is that he really didn’t know. Now please hear me out on this one. Dr. Stevens is a amazing environmental science professor, so the college came to him and asked him to come up with a plan to create an “Eco-Dorm” on campus; the college wanted the Eco-Dorm to be a “green” building and use less energy but also still be comfortable for students to live in.

Starting the student-driven eco-dorm project

Instead of coming up with the idea himself, Dr. Stevens brought the question before our class and told us to think of what an Eco-Dorm was to us. This was our semester project, which we all worked on. The cool thing about this project was that it was almost completely student-driven. Once Dr. Stevens gave us the idea, it was amazing to see how the students just ran with it. We still had some questions, but for the most part, it was all us. At the end of the semester, we presented our idea to the college as a whole, and the really cool part to see was that they actually listened to us. The first steps to transforming Riddick Hall into Ferrum’s first Eco-Dorm are under way right now! Over spring break, turf block was placed outside of Riddick Hall, and they are also looking at replacing the lighting very soon. We are hoping that most of the major renovations will take place over the summer.

It is really cool to see all this happening and know that I had a part in making it all come true. I do not think I would have had this opportunity if I had gone to college anywhere else. This project has shown me two main things about Ferrum College. One is that the students here really do have a voice and the College does listen to them. Secondly, the professors want you to get involved in your education – not just read something in a textbook, but actually have the opportunity to experience it! This is what makes Ferrum home for me.

Hope ya’ll have a good one!