EcoWatch Journal June/July : Page 4
ENERGY-EFFICIENT SMARTHOME PROVIDES SOLUTIONS TO CLIMATE CHANGE CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 “PNC SmartHome Cleveland will give thousands of people hands-on experience with the most advanced, practical and at-tractive techniques of green building and energy conservation,” said David Beach, director of GreenCityBlueLake Institute, the center for sustainability at the mu-seum. “It will also raise design standards in Northeast Ohio by increasing awareness of passive house principles, and can help make Cleveland a center for advanced design.” The two-story house will have a net living space of approximately 2,500 square feet, including three bedrooms and 2½ bathrooms, plus a full basement. PNC SmartHome Cleveland will be on display from June 6 through September 2011. At the close of the exhibit, the house will be moved to a nearby lot on Wade Park Avenue in the University Circle area and become available for purchase as a residen-tial home for a Cleveland family. “The enthusiasm and support for this project is incredible,” said Evalyn Gates, the museum’s executive director and CEO. “It’s truly a community effort. We have so many wonderful partners providing financial support, in-kind contributions and countless hours of labor and expertise. Architects, artists, contractors and land-scapers, foundations, corporations and individuals—an impressive group of North-east Ohio’s leaders in innovative green technologies—all coming together to create the house of the future.” Visitors will see the following when they tour PNC SmartHome Cleveland: Ideas for saving energy and money in their own homes; a state-of-the-art house that can weather a Cleveland winter without a conventional furnace; super-insulated walls with an insulation value of about R-50; techniques for achieving an extremely well-sealed building envelope; industry lead-ing, energy efficient, triple-pane windows from Germany; energy recovery ventilation to provide fresh air without losing heat; landscaping design that manages stormwa-ter and utilizes native plants; oak flooring cmnh.org/site/SmartHomeCleveland.aspx. Entrance to PNC SmartHome Cleveland is $5 with Museum admission. CLIMATE CHANGE EXHIBITION Visitors can uncover the scientific evidence for global warming during the mu-seum’s Climate Change exhibition from July 23 through Dec. 31 in the museum’s Kahn Hall. This timely exhibition presents the history and science behind one of the most critical issues facing our planet. It explores the threats of global warming to humanity and the world around us, and describes our efforts at adaptation. Through interac-tive stations and videos The Climate Change exhibit features a diorama of a large polar bear as well as dioramas reduced to foraging through a garbage dump as a graphic illustration conveying the latest of how polar bears will be forced to invade human-populated areas in response to the dwindling of their habitat. Photo credit: ©AMNH/D. Finnin scientific concepts and research, the exhibit recycled from a house in Cleveland Heights; presents evidence that human activity over energy efficient and attractive lighting; eco-the last 300 years—including, especially, friendly appliances from leading manu-the burning of fossil fuels, deforestation and facturers; water-saving kitchen and bath other changes in land use—has dramatically fixtures; paints that do not release harmful altered the natural world. Greenhouse gases chemicals; furnishings made of recycled ma-like carbon dioxide have increased rapidly terials, and artwork by local artists featuring in the atmosphere, changing the Earth’s cli-environmental themes. mate. The exhibit explains how the resulting The home was designed by Chuck global warming could severely stress human Miller of Doty & Miller Architects in societies and damage ecosystems by causing Cleveland. Certified Passive House Con-sea levels to rise, increasing the incidence sultant Mark Hoberecht of HarvestBuild of drought and intense storms, drastically Associates is overseeing PNC SmartHome raising temperatures over areas of land Cleveland’s adherence to the standards of and ocean surface and bringing additional the Passive House Institute U.S. changes to the world around us. Computer Images and a video about PNC Sm-interactives illustrate how climate works and artHome Cleveland are available at www. demonstrate how global warming affects land, ocean, ice and atmosphere. The Climate Change exhibit focuses on solutions and illustrates what is needed to move away from dependence on fossil fuels toward a more energy-efficient economy. The exhibit shows how innovative solutions will help secure our future by providing clean energy and creating sustainable living environments. Children and adults alike can discover simple ways to reduce energy consumption in their daily lives, pledge to take a specific action, and then visualize its “multiplier effect”—the collective impact of their individual efforts. The exhibit conveys the message that although challenging, the solution to global climate change is within our grasp on an individual, national and global scale. The exhibition is free with museum admission. LITTLE BUILDERS EXHIBITION This summer, the museum’s Little Builders exhibition entertains young minds through creative and constructive play. Donning little hard hats and construction vests, children ages 2 through 7 can create, play and learn as they explore the con-cepts of construction, motion and simple machines. The Little Builders exhibit challenges the minds of children, helping to develop intellectual, physical, emotional and social skills. It uses scientific processes, math-ematical concepts, sensory development and communication to promote self confidence, coordination, control, strength and self expression. This exhibition is free with mu-seum admission and open through Sept. 11. Museum admission fees are: $10 adults; $8 ages 7-18, college students and seniors over age 60; $7 children ages 3-6; free for children 2 and under. For more informa-tion, visit www.cmnh.org. BURNING RIVER FEST—JULY 23 AND 24 CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 The Burning River Foundation is a non-profit organization whose purpose through grants, dona-tions and community involvement is to provide extensive education and resources for ecological conservation, environmental protection, scientific exploration, historic preservation and sustainable future of our waterways. To date, the Burning River Foundation has awarded more than $246,000 to local non-profit organizations such as the GreenCityBlueLake Insti-tute, Doan Brook Watershed Partnership, The Trust for Public Land, EcoWatch, West Creek Preserva-4 • ECOWATCH JOURNAL • JUNE -JULY 2011 tion Committee and the Cuyahoga County Plan-ning Commission for their work on water projects. Through the Burning River Fest, the foundation has also increased public awareness about the deteriorat-ing, yet historic, Coast Guard Station, which has re-sulted in a collaborative cleanup and restoration effort by non-profit, corporate and government entities. For more information, visit www.burningriverfest.org or to purchase your presale tickets at $8/person/day or $15 for a weekend pass (kids 12 and under are free) or to register as a volunteer. WWW. ECOWATCH.ORG
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