Merry Lea’s Rieth Village to offer another green energy tour

WOLF LAKE, Ind. – Since Rieth Village opened in May 2006, Luke Gascho has made a point of sharing the secrets of these environmentally-friendly buildings with the public as often as possible. The next opportunity to tour Rieth Village will take place Feb. 17, from 9 to 11:30 a.m., and will focus on energy usage.

Gascho is the executive director of Merry Lea Environmental Learning Center of Goshen College and a sustainable building enthusiast who oversaw the design and construction of the three buildings at Rieth Village, Merry Lea’s collegiate facility south of Wolf Lake, Ind. Rieth Village was designed to meet the U.S. Green Building’s Platinum level LEED standards (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design).

Gascho now has over nine months’ worth of data on how the buildings perform in different seasons. During the tour, he will share some of this information and examine the strategies that enable Rieth Village to cover its own energy needs. Participants will gain a better understanding of factors such as the R-value of building materials and glazed, tinted or triple pane windows. Gascho will cover questions such as, “What difference does a ground source heat pump make?” and “What are the ventilation needs of a building with a tight building envelope?”

A second area of energy consumption that is often overlooked is embodied energy: How much energy is required to produce and ship a given product? Gascho will look at the embodied energy inherent in various building materials.

The tour will inspire anyone with an interest in energy consumption or a concern about global warming. It will be especially valuable for people preparing to build a home or office.

The cost is $5 per person; $2 for students. Advance registration is preferred. Call (260) 799-5869 or e-mail jenniferhs@goshen.edu. See www.goshen.edu/merrylea for directions and more information.

Merry Lea Environmental Learning Center is a 1,150-acre nature center located in central Noble County and owned and operated by Goshen College. This natural sanctuary for northern Indiana’s plants and animals provides environmental education for people of all ages and a setting to recreate opportunities that benefit the human body and spirit without exploiting the land. Merry Lea was created with the assistance of the Nature Conservancy and the generosity of Lee A. and Mary Jane Rieth.

– by Jennifer Schrock

Editors: For more information about this release, to arrange an interview or request a photo, contact Goshen College News Bureau Director Jodi H. Beyeler at (574) 535-7572 or jodihb@goshen.edu.

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Goshen College, established in 1894, is a four-year residential Christian liberal arts college rooted in the Anabaptist-Mennonite tradition. The college’s Christ-centered core values – passionate learning, global citizenship, compassionate peacemaking and servant-leadership – prepare students as leaders for the church and world. Recognized for its unique Study-Service Term program, Goshen has earned citations of excellence in Barron’s Best Buys in Education, “Colleges of Distinction,” “Making a Difference College Guide” and U.S.News & World Report’s “America’s Best Colleges” edition, which named Goshen a “least debt college.” Visit www.goshen.edu.