Meet the one-of-a-kind Greer Environmental Sciences Center at Virginia Wesleyan University, named as a tribute to former university President, Billy Greer. This highly advanced facility serves as a cornerstone to the environmental sciences program and incorporates many environmentally-friendly features within its construction. The 40,000 square-foot sustainable structure features a geothermal ground-source heat exchange, which transfers heat both to and from the earth itself for heating and cooling. Photo-voltaic panels are integrated into the building to provide solar power, and a small-scale wind turbine harnesses the kinetic energy of the wind. The LEED Gold Certified Greer Environmental Sciences Center demonstrates how natural energy can be used practically and efficiently, making a measurable difference in our natural world.
Our partners who make it all possible:
Written by: Dustin Sordelett
|
Recently certified LEED Gold, the Greer Environmental Sciences Center elevates Virginia Wesleyan University’s commitment to environmental sustainability and advocacy for a thriving, cross-disciplinary science program. The Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) named Virginia Wesleyan University (VWU) a 2017 Conservationist of the Year—honoring the university’s commitment to educating the next generation of Chesapeake Bay leaders. In addition to expanding undergraduate research opportunities and raising the university’s campus and student profile, the opening of the Greer Center aligns with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s mission, according to CBF president Will Baker, to “help students appreciate the wonders of the Bay and become our future environmental stewards.” |
