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People know The Ecology School (TES) as an outdoor education center that serves young students from all over New England. The Ecology School has an exceptionally key role in providing environmental educational services to public and private schools, by offering a valuable and affordable education they likely wouldnt be able to access otherwise. said Cole Palmer, CEI loan officer. We call our multi-year environmental literacy education model, Science & Ecology ~ Live & Unplugged! As the plan explains: The congregation around a campfire is an important aid to storytelling, stargazing, and listening to the sounds of the night.. Kids stay in dorms overlooking the forest, eat food grown on the farm and explore nearby trails and ponds. We encouragepartial and in some cases full republication but please follow the our republication terms & rights. Their goal is to transform how they think about science, food, the environment, and themselves through joyful, hands-on learning. Bambi peered into the dirt for any traces of her banana peel. Drew Dumsch, the Ecology Schools president and CEO, said that initiative and the Ecology Schools mission were a perfect fit. old farmhouse, solar panels, yurts, and state-of-the-art green dormitories and She said the schools program is much more hands-on and freewheeling than her own childhood camp programs,guided as much by curiosity as curriculum. Dumsch, the schools CEO, had long been an armchair enthusiast of green building. EEI students experience living in and learning about eight ecosystems, touring our green office building, coming together for family-style meals, and participating in organic gardening and composting projects. It looks like you do not have any active subscriptions. At a certain point, it felt like The Ecology Schools destiny was to be a landowner to be responsible for a piece of property and to make that property more sustainable, he says. Learn more & curate a custom experience for your organization. The additional acreage allows The Ecology School to expand its agroecology farming operations, workforce training, educational programs, conservation and agricultural research plus support collaborative partnerships. Anyone can access the link you share with no account required. Log in to join the discussion. farmers. Have you learned about decomposers this week? the farmer asked. DISCLAIMER This information, including business hours, addresses and contact information is provided for general reference purposes only. Saco, ME, 04072 (207) 283-9951. Each fall and spring for nearly two decades, he and his colleagues rented a summer camp near Saco, Maine, where they offered educational programs occasionally for adults, mainly for children. THE ANCA ANNUAL SUMMIT, taking place this year August 21-25 at The Ecology School in Saco, Maine, is the premier professional development opportunity for leaders of nature centers, outdoor schools, and related organizations. As a grocery retailer, sustainability is a core pillar of our work and we are deeply committed to reducing waste and protecting the environment, said Hannaford Charitable Foundation Board of Directors Chair Peter Forester, who also serves as senior vice president of merchandising for the grocery retailer. And as the intensity of the work increased, they were able to spread out a load that otherwise might have gotten overwhelming. Calendar of Events The Ecology School The Ecology School at River Bend Farm will include a full-scale agroecology farm operation, community environmental education programs, field ecology research and buildings constructed and certified under the Living Building Challenge and Living Community Challenge through the International Living Future Institute. Shawn Patrick Ouellette/Staff Photographer. ), using passive house principles. Try a low commitment monthly plan today. Its aim, she stresses, isnt to flood the market; its designed to create models toward which other communities will aspire. As construction moved through the winter, the project achieved another couple of firsts. All rights reserved. , a longtime supporter of the school, announced a $500,000 grant to the capital fund. But thinking about the way they work together allowed everything to work together better.. You can share 5 more gift articles this month. At the Ecology School in Saco, campers learn by doing (and tasting) New financial backing and a green campus at River Bend Farm expand outdoor learning opportunities for Maine kids. Each firm was based in nearby Portland, which was important because Dumsch wanted the project to seed knowledge about regenerative design in the local architecture community. Hes already making a case for the Ecology School to serve as a model of COVID-19 resilience. When completed, River Bend. I cant think of anything more The North and Middle Wings have 3 bathrooms per floor and the South Wing has 2 bathrooms per floor. Read the ongoing story of our ambitious project. The Dormitory has ADA accessible rooms and bathrooms. Energy use intensity (EUI) is an indicator of the energy efficiency of a building's design and/or operations. In a pristine, rural location on the Saco River in Southern Maine, The Ecology School's innovative River Bend Farm campus lives and breathes a sustainable future, now. Concrete pours, framing and other outdoor work was allowed to continue. Hours. The little school had effectively leapfrogged more established LCC projects being shepherded by much larger organizations. Like the LBC, the LCC lays out a transcendent vision. agricultural land, promoting environmentally sound farming practices, and But he says now that the arrangement proved to have advantages. Wings are connected by outdoor walkways. Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. SBN STAFF/Liz Gotthelf. The yurt's structural integrity comes from the beautiful symmetry of compression and tension working together. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page. Katrina found herself in Portland and instantly felt like she was home: the people were friendly, the food was incredible, and the ocean breeze was great. Each seemed to get what the school was trying to achieve. The Ecology School co-hosted the event with Latitude Regenerative Real Estate, a global community of real estate "Change Agents" that helps guide real estate buyers, sellers, developers, and. Fortuitously, supply-chain issues that hit other construction projects werent severe at The Ecology School. There werent a lot of precedents, Foisy says. Please review them by clicking here. Low flow toilets, faucets, and showers will save an extra 240,000 gallons of water each year over conventional. The team hired Advanced Foodservice Solutions, a Pennsylvania company that has previously consulted on all-electric kitchens. Subscribe to our mailing list to receive updates. In addition to supporting the land acquisition, Hannaford recently donated $250,000 to The Ecology Schools AgroEcology for Resilient Communities Project, an innovative program that addresses climate change, food systems challenges and food insecurity within the community. For example, Katrina Venhuizen grew up in Austin, Texas and went to college in Madison, Wisconsin. Shawn Patrick Ouellette/Staff Photographer/Associated Press. Dumsch came away determined to educate more kids about where their food comes from. I cannot think of anything more valuable than shaping the future of farming, and The Ecology School encapsulates that.. We are excited to grow our sustainable learning campus along the breathtaking Saco River by an additional 200 acres. Kaplan Thompson Architects To finance most of the $14.1 million budget (for both real estate and construction), the school tapped into government loans the bulk of which came through a U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development program. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. "We're doing development in. Dumsch announced at a press conference Wednesday morning that the school Create one. The escalating costs of the hot 2019 construction market forced the architects to eliminate some flourishes, such as uniquely angled roofs on the three wings of the dormitory and a recycled-glass substrate material called. Around 3,500 students visit River Bend Farm annually for hands-on learning opportunities that inspire new ways of looking at food, farming, nature, communities and conservation through studying ecosystems, food systems and sustainability. Open Daily 10:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. It was thyme, grown right there on the farm at the Ecology School in Saco. But loan payments require cash flow, and revenue has been in short supply since the school suspended programs since March. I cannot think of anything more valuable than shaping the future of farming and The Ecology School encapsulates that.. The Ecology School, located in Saco, Maine, is an innovative school for students of all ages to learn by their natural inclinationsengaging all five senses to discover the inner workings of the . At the Ecology School, that means 180 campers will come to one of three weeklong sessions in July for free. Sign up to hear about events, camps, classes and more! A story less-told, however, is the impact that this educational experience has on the seasonal staff who come to Maine from all around the country. American Farmland Trust and the Hannaford Charitable Foundation, which each The Ecology School announces 200-acre addition to regenerative The surprise hit, however, was the beets. These campers also are part of a new state initiative to provide outdoor learning experiences for kids who might not otherwise have them because of financial and geographic barriers. During her free time on the weekends, she explored the area. Thank you for signing up . Hannaford Charitable Foundation In everything they do leading overnight and day programs on their coastal campus, teaching outreach programs at schools, running camps and publishing curriculum and field guides they accentuate the wonder of nature so that students can better understand and care for the environment. The design intent was to keep the emphasis on the site, the landscape, and the many ecologies and ecotones the site had to offer. (Eastern hemlock tasted like Christmas, white pine tasted really bad and lemongrass tasted like Sour Patch kids, Turek said.). In June, another bit of good news arrived: Maine-based Poland Spring Water , a longtime supporter of the school, announced a $500,000 grant to the capital fund. Last edited on 22 December 2021, at 05:57, Learn how and when to remove this template message, "The Ferry Beach Field Guide: An Ecological Tour Of New England's Coastal Ecosystems", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Ecology_School&oldid=1061525015, This page was last edited on 22 December 2021, at 05:57. Closing a $3.6 million gap in funding that isnt being providing by the loans hasnt been easy in the midst of a pandemic for a nonprofit that had never before engaged in a major capital campaign. Kaplan Thompson also oversaw the development of a master plan by, The International Living Future Institute launched the, in 2014, only seven years after it kicked off the Living Building Challenge. Having single ownership of all of the land and properties that they are going to develop helped. Both buildings feature the tight envelopes, thick walls and the blockish look typical of Passive House construction appropriate to Maines cold, windy winters. Dumsch and Thompson credit the LBCs emphasis on locally sourced products and materials. community organizations, and donating fresh foods to those in need. The residential component of our programs adds an element of extended community learning that other one day field trip programs do not offer. Board members liked all three finalists. The expansionwill allow the school to expand its farming operations, workforce training, educational programs, conservation, agricultural research, and support collaborative partnerships. Waking up to the crashing waves and teaching in the salt marsh were two of my all-time favorite things!. Built in 2021, these yurts have become a staple on the River Bend Farm campus, adding additional multi-purpose spaces on campus. They can never be individually perfect buildings, architect Thompson says. SACO The Ecology School today announced a 200-acre addition to its regenerative agriculture learning campus at River Bend Farm located alongside the Saco River. One morning is spent at the schools farm, which generatesmany of the campers meals.