FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 18, 2012
CONTACT:
Diane Huskinson, Stroud Water Research Center
WHAT: Stroud Water Research Center Dedicates “Green” Building in Honor of Rodman W. Moorhead III
WHEN: Wednesday, May 30, 2012 at 4 p.m.
WHERE:
Stroud Water Research Center, 970 Spencer Road, Avondale, PA 19311
Avondale, Pa. – On May 30, 2012 at 4 p.m., Stroud Water Research Center will open the doors of its new “green” building for environmental science education and public outreach: the Moorhead Environmental Complex. A dedication ceremony will be held in honor of Board Co-chairman Rodman W. Moorhead III for his generous gift and longtime support and leadership. Special remarks will be given by the Stroud Center’s director, Dr. Bernard W. Sweeney, and by Sec. Michael Krancer of the Pa. Department of Environmental Protection.
In keeping with the Stroud Center’s mission to advance knowledge and stewardship of fresh water, the Moorhead Environmental Complex will provide additional classroom space for the Stroud Center’s education programs and model sustainable practices for managing water. Construction of the building included the addition of bioswales, rain gardens, permeable paving systems, and landscaping using native plants to reduce stormwater runoff and nonpoint source pollution.
A stormwater management system works together with a rooftop rainwater capture system, a green roof, composting toilets integrated with a water-reuse system, and a wetland waste treatment and drip irrigation system to mimic the earth’s natural hydrological cycle. The unique rainwater capture system, which is capable of converting rainwater into potable water, is the first of its kind and will serve as a national pilot project.
“The Moorhead Environmental Complex provides us with a great opportunity for us to expand our horizons,” says Education Director Susan Gill. “It takes us out of the basement of our research laboratories and places us squarely in the center of our outdoor classroom — the White Clay Creek watershed. Our new indoor classrooms overlook both the stream and our new wetland treatment system, which illustrates that a landscape can be both beautiful and perform a necessary function.”
The building itself is a teaching tool, providing opportunities for educators to discuss the various features, such as photovoltaic panels, rainwater capture, geothermal heat, and landscaping that promotes infiltration.
“We expect the new building to be a community resource where we can provide expanded education opportunities not only to school groups but to the community at large,” Gill adds.
The Moorhead Environmental Complex is on track to receive a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification.
