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by:  Angela Halfacre, College of Charleston

PROJECT ABSTRACT
Implementing Sustainable "Green Building" Technology in an Historic Setting through the Utilization of a Campus Building as a Model for the College of Charleston and Greater Community

Research Team: 
Dr. Angela Halfacre (Political Science Faculty and MES Director)
Katharine Owens (MES Graduate Student)
Katherine Zimmerman (MES Graduate Student)
Bryan Cordell (Political Science Undergraduate Student)
Jackson Ewing (Political Science Undergraduate Student)
Rebecca Inman (Biology Undergraduate Student)
Rick Vaughn (Political Science Undergraduate Student)
Later Additions to the Team: 
Greg Baccari (Undergraduate Student)
Elizabeth Mullins (Biology Undergraduate Student)

 A research and service-learning team of faculty and graduate and undergraduate students at the College of Charleston have spent the last ten months of this one year project researching, renovating, monitoring, and conducting outreach utilizing a 200 year-old historic campus building located at 114 Wentworth Street. This project has been largely funded by The Sustainable Universities Initiative (SUI) of South Carolina, the Master of Environmental Studies Program, the Department of Political Science, and the Environmental Studies Minor at the College of Charleston. The research team defines sustainability as increasing resource and energy efficiency as well as improving air and water quality in an economically viable way.  After researching green building construction, management, renovation, and environmentally friendly products the group prioritized the use of $10,000 (SUI funds) to renovate this historic building. 

The goal of the project is to make the building as "green" or sustainable as possible using a broad range of techniques and technologies designed to target the diverse socio-economic background located at and surrounding the College of Charleston campus.  Simple and inexpensive improvements such as checking for leaky pipes, insulating the water heater, and replacing incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescents were implemented first.  Expensive and labor-intensive improvements followed.  Examples of these include installing ceiling insulation with vapor barriers, using non-VOC paints to refurbish the interior, and adding, Board of Architectural Review (BAR) approved, interior storm windows to decrease heating and cooling lose through conventional windows. 

Currently, the research team is conducting extensive public outreach.  The College of Charleston campus and surrounding communities have many buildings of a similar age and size providing future educational opportunities (64 of the 114 facilities on campus are historic in nature and require special city approval for any changes or renovations).  The Green Building Renovation Project is serving as one model for the college, community, and region working closely with other nonprofits and individuals addressing issues concerning greenhouse gases, native species, and sustainable businesses.  For more information, please review the project's website: www.cofc.edu/~greenbuilding .

The Green Historic Renovations at 114 Wentworth were covered in the October 3, 2002 George Street Observer (page 2) and the attached US Department of Energy Rebuild America website regarding winsulators (http://www.rebuild.org/sectors/newsdetail.asp?newsid=1360&mktid=6). 

Following are some activities that have taken place:

• To date, the students have presented information the project to several classes as well as to the Carolina Recycling Association's Mid-Year Meeting held October 4, 2002. 
• The service learning and research team held several other presentations as well as a Center for Effective Teaching and Learning (CETL) Panel on "Research Teams" which was held Thursday, November 7, 2002 (they co-presented with Allan Strand's Research Team). 
• The project's first open house was held Tuesday, October 8, 2002 at 4:00PM.
• The College of Charleston's green building project located in the Department of Political Science (114 Wentworth) will be featured on "Your Day with Donna London" broadcast on South Carolina's Educational Radio Network (FM 89.3). It will be live webstreamed and then available on the archives at http://yourday.clemson.edu. The broadcast will be at 12 noon on Thursday, March 20, 2003. Below is a description of the program for that day's broadcast.


YOUR DAY -- THURSDAY, MARCH 20
Focus on the Future Greenbuilding at 114 Wentworth Street. Donna London of the Jim Self Center on the Future talks with Dr. Angela Halfacre,Director of the College of Charleston's Master of Environmental Studies (MES) graduate program and with MES graduate student Katharine Owens.

Out & About, I The South Carolina Cotton Museum. Bob Schuster travels to Bishopville to talk with museum director Jansen Cox. Contact the museum to share your stories as an American veteran.
Weatherwise The Truth About Lightning. Clemson University Agricultural Meteorologist Dale Linvill talks with Vince DiCarlo, Warning Coordination Meteorologist from the National Weather Service Forecast Office in Greer, SC. 

Out & About, II Diving in the Great Ocean Tank. We follow along as dive officer Arnold Postell takes a volunteer into the 45-foot-deep tank at the SC Aquarium in Charleston.