Sustainability Education

Sustainability Education will be a primary component of the programs developed. The Center will demonstrate and deliver a systems approach to understanding long-term impacts of a human technologically designed world as it relates to our environment. Students will understand the role of engineering and how important planning and design are for the future of our planet, especially in the energy, and building industry.

The programs will go beyond the traditional science of environmental education that may be found in a typical classroom setting. It will include engineering mentor programs where students will have the opportunity to work with experts in the environmental industry. The programs will be designed to place students as active participants instead of static observers. Students will participate in design challenges that will promote future renewable energy choices and address current environmental problems that cause many health related issues. The programs will engage students in the concept of sustainability that will lead students to study areas such as, agriculture, biomedical fields, waste management, energy, transportation, and many other areas that make up a sustainable system.

The Center will demonstrate the importance of solar energy, fuel cells, wind power, and conservation techniques. By doing this, the building will become part of the educational process that begins when the students step off the bus. The building will demonstrate the enormous potential of how design can help off-set rising fuel cost by producing energy instead of consuming energy from the existing power grid.

With the proposed green construction, the goal is to obtain LEED certification from the US Green Builders Council demonstrating sustainability. In 2003 EIRC installed a Solar Panel System on their main building in Sewell, NJ. EIRC is a solar power demonstration site and has available information online found under the Green Apple link. The information found on the Green Apple site will help expand and improve upon existing relationships, and promote the resources of organizations such as the Alliance for New Jersey Environmental Educators (ANJEE), the North East Sustainable Energy Association (NESEA),  government agencies and private corporations that serve the renewable energy industry. The EIRC plans to bridge the gap between schools and organizations that provide valuble resources to supplement classroom activities.

EIRC believes that through a scaffolding approach to environmental education, initiated with professional development for educators and filtering that knowledge to the elementary level and then continuing through High School, students will develop a comprehensive understanding of our environment. Educators and students will make connections to other content areas and learn about the many career opportunities that exist in the areas of community development, home improvement, green building, environmental protection, and energy resources. Educators and students will learn about the politics to make informed decisions regarding changes that would influence new energy production markets, transportation systems, and hopefully the way that homes could be constructed so they can become energy producers and conserve our nation's resources.