Furman, Washington Universities open green buildings
The Furman University campus in Greenville, S.C., has opened The Cliffs Cottage to visitors this summer before it is retrofitted to be the school's Center for Sustainability, according to press release. While The Cliffs Cottage was built in 2008, the Washington University in St. Louis just completed its new Living Learning Center at the university's Tyson Research Center in Missouri. The Cliffs Cottage, Southern Living magazine's first showcase "green" home, has geothermal heating and cooling and solar thermal and photovoltaic power technologies. Its 3400 square feet can be heated and cooled for less than $75 per month, according to the press release. The cottage uses a 12,000-gallon cistern system to collect rainwater from the roof, and its furnishings are made from bamboo and recycled glass. Washington University's Tyson Research Center, located 20 miles southwest of the Danforth Campus, is 2,000 acres of woods, prairie, ponds, and savannas where dozens of faculty and students research environmental topics.