Cedar Valley College's Energy Efficient Green Building Institute: Making it easy to be Green
By Jonna Fernandez, Manager of Public Information

Through the fog hanging over the pasture on Cedar Valley College's (CVC) southeast side, David Eishen envisions four solar and wind powered energy efficient residential buildings that use the latest in green technologies. Although the buildings do not yet exist, the program they will support is already up and running.

In April of this year, CVC President Dr. Jennifer Wimbish announced the development of the Energy Efficient Green Building Institute (EEGBI). The Institute, which will provide education and certification for those involved in green service careers, is one of the first of its kind in the nation.

"Cedar Valley College will be positioned to be one of the first community colleges in the area, and among the first in the nation, to offer training in fields related to energy and green building technology," says Wimbish.

By definition, green buildings are environmentally friendly and energy efficient structures that utilize cutting-edge technology to reduce negative environmental impact. The Institute at CVC has developed educational programs based on this current technology, as well as the philosophies and theories surrounding energy conservation.

"Our partnership with the Department of Energy's Building America program has been very beneficial because it has allowed us to offer the newest research and cutting-edge technology to our community," says Eishen. "Up to this point, the department has only conducted research on homes, but now we are going to transfer that research into a curriculum."

Beginning September 2006, the EEGBI will offer a two-year degree for individuals who want to become Building Performance Specialists. These specialists will be a neutral third party whom homeowners can hire to recommend ways to make their homes more energy efficient and environmentally friendly.

"Up to this point, there has not been a neutral third party that homeowners can consult regarding energy efficiency in their home. They have had to call window specialists, and insulation installers who are only able to help with a piece of the energy efficiency puzzle. Our program will really create a whole new professional class of consultants for residential buildings."

The two-year degree plan will be open to all individuals regardless of professional background. While most courses will be offered online, there will be two capstone classes that students must come to CVC to attend-it is during these classes that Eishen's vision of the four residential buildings comes into play.

"Students from all over the nation will come to CVC to learn in those buildings. The complex as a whole will combine the nostalgia of older neighborhoods, sustainable practices and state-of-the-art technologies that will serve as a living laboratory well into the future."

The complex of buildings will serve as a national showcase of energy efficient green building technologies. In addition to housing classrooms, it is proposed that the buildings will also be dedicated to providing facilities for online instruction, a learning center for kindergarten-12th-grade students and serve as a resource center for businesses and government.

For individuals who want to begin the process to a more energy efficient home immediately, the EEGBI offers non-credit continuing education classes. This past October, the Institute offered courses on solar water heating and zero energy homes. The classes proved so successful that they will be offered again in February and March in addition to classes on green interiors, composting, high efficiency lighting and responsible electronics disposal.

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