EFS Profiles
Green Building Project
Florida Gulf Coast University
Fort Myers, Florida
Purpose: Community Involvement, Greening the Campus
Please note that the copyright for this profile is retained by the institution.
Southwest Florida has a growing need for more widespread knowledge of appropriate and environmentally sustainable building and landscaping practices. There is growing concern today that current building and landscaping practices are placing unsustainable pressures on Southwest Florida's natural infrastructure and reducing quality of life. Building and landscaping styles from elsewhere need not be imposed upon the region's environment at great ecological and economic costs, and people need not live in buildings surrounded by landscapes that are less healthy, less safe, and more expensive to maintain. Building and landscaping practices appropriate to Southwest Florida's environment are available but are not yet commonly known or used. Appropriate and environmentally sustainable demonstration projects and outreach programs designed for building and landscaping professionals as well as consumers are urgently needed. Florida Gulf Coast University is ideal positioned to be a catalyst in this effort. FGCU's mission and guiding principles include progress in environmental and sustainable concerns in Southwest Florida. Several courses such as the Colloquium, required of all students; Issues in Ecology and the Environment; Environmental Technologies; and Conservation Strategies for a Sustainable Future address environmental sustainability issues. FGCU's Continuing Education Center can also provide ongoing educational programs in partnership with professional architecture, building, interior design and landscape design associations. In addition, FGCU maintains a Small Business Innovation Center which can provide advice and information to new entrepreneurial "green building" businesses.
Project Background
The FGCU Green Building Project was started in the spring of 1998 by a group of individuals associated with the building industry in southwest Florida. In the summer of 1998 a partnership was established with Florida Gulf Coast University to house the project and provide administrative support. Project committee teams were formed and a project Name, Mission Statement and Goals and Objectives were developed. In the fall of 1998 the project members selected the first green demonstration project to be built, a Green Building Learning Center to be built on the FGCU Campus. The project team is currently developing the plans for the Learning Center and has recently completed a very successful community-based design process. The on-campus site area for the Center has been identified and was dedicated on April 24, 1999. A fund raising campaign for the new Learning Center, which is estimated to cost $1,200,000 to construct and equip, has been started and is planned to be completed by the end of 1999. Because this is a university building, we expect these funds to be matched dollar-for-dollar by the state legislature.
Vision Statement
The vision of the FGCU Green Building Project is to be a catalyst in the transition to environmentally sustainable and healthy building and landscaping practices appropriate to subtropical Southwest Florida that can sustain the natural infrastructure and the quality of life it supports for present and future generations. FGCU can be an advocate for this worthwhile effort providing information and demonstrations to all potential user groups including architects, builders, trades, landscape architects, loan officers, and potential home buyers.
Mission Statement
The mission of the FGCU Green Building Project is to foster environmentally sustainable and healthy building, housing, and landscaping practices in Southwest Florida through demonstration projects and educational outreach programs.
Demonstration Projects
The first demonstration project will be the new Green Building Learning Center on the FGCU campus. It will use a whole systems approach to design as well as building science and landscaping principles in its implementation. This new center will be both a demonstration building and a teaching facility, which will focus on the following:
- Environmentally sustainable building practices
- The use of resource efficient materials
- Healthy House design
- Environmentally friendly landscaping
- Water conservation systems
- Solar energy applications
- Energy efficiency
- Non-toxic building materials
- Universal Design for handicapped and elderly
- Hurricane protection features
- Recycling systems
- Safe House features
- Low maintenance cost
- Long term durability
- Ease of use
Educational Outreach
Another major component of the FGCU Green Building Project will be educational outreach. The goals of the education program include:
- Reaching a broad range of individuals and groups in the community, including current and prospective homeowners, members of the building professions, local decision makers and students.
- Partnering with other organizations that have already developed green building programs, seminars and lectures, so as to maximize our resources and not reinvent the education wheel.
- Identifying where there are gaps that need to be filled in the green building education process and to secure the resources to develop programs and materials to meet these needs.
- Developing a marketing strategy for each educational offering, which will insure maximum participation. (Advertising, Promotion, C.E.U. credits, etc.).
- Using a mix of delivery modes for the delivery of green building information to the community. These would include hands-on workshops, lecture series, professional seminars, demonstrations, print materials, videos, newsletters, TV and radio spots adult education classes, website and a clearinghouse for local green building information.
For additional information:
Green Building Project
This document was last modified on 02/20/2002 10:43:02 AM
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