Moorhead Environmental Complex

Getting the Water Right

This green building was built as a direct and proactive way to support the Stroud Water Research Center’s environmental education and public outreach. It was dedicated in 2012 in honor of Rodman W. Moorhead III and his many years of service and support of the Stroud Center.

Even though the Moorhead Environmental Complex occupies only a small portion of our site, the innovations associated with its construction have made all elements of the water cycle more sustainable for the entire campus.

The building utilizes and treats water in a way that more closely mimics nature — leaving a smaller overall environmental footprint, better protecting the White Clay Creek, and acting as both a teaching vehicle and a replicable model for others to follow.

As we “teach by doing,” we will influence every individual who experiences our programs. This environmental education and public outreach center will become a platform from which we can continue leading the way.

Why Build a “Green” Building?

It really didn’t make sense for us to build an environmental education and outreach center without seizing the opportunity to improve our campus’s overall health and environmental footprint.

We decided that not only should we aspire to LEED^® certification (the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design rating system developed by the U.S. Green Building Council) for our new building, we should shoot for the highest level. Platinum is the highest level of LEED certification, requiring at least 52 of the available 69 LEED points. The Moorhead Environmental Complex achieved LEED Platinum in April 2013.

Stormwater
Management

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Recycled & Locally
Sourced Materials

Sustainable
Water Use

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Educational
Opportunities

Energy
Efficiency

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Design and
Build Team

Moorhead Environmental Complex News

Philadelphia Catholic Schools to Participate in Watershed Education Programs at the Stroud Center

Student groups from fourth through 12th grade can visit the Stroud Center’s 55-acre campus for a hands-on day of science lessons.

Clean by Design

38 Master of Landscape Architecture students from the University of Pennsylvania visited Stroud Water Research Center to learn about protecting clean fresh water through land use and best management practices.

Stroud Center Connects International Leaders with Freshwater Solutions

Stroud Water Research Center rolled out the red carpet for water systems experts from 23 countries who gathered to learn how to best protect their home countries' water resources.

Louis “Sandy” Sage Lobby Dedication Evokes Tears and Laughter

The Moorhead Environmental Complex lobby was named for Sandy in recognition of his many years of help and assistance to the Stroud Center and its mission.

UpStream Newsletter, December 2013

Stroud Center scientists find mayflies, whose presence indicates good water quality, are significantly affected by low levels of fracking wastewater.

UpStream Newsletter, June 2013

A Holistic Approach to Restoring Streams: Our Watershed Restoration Group has an ambitious goal -- add forested buffers along the entire length of two streams over the next two years.

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