The popularity of sustainability, recycling and living green ebbs and flows through the years, but Berea College has found a way to encourage this lifestyle with its students and make it a part of life for the next generation.
The Berea College Ecovillage is a community for nontraditional students who come to college with a spouse and, perhaps, children in tow. One of the requirements for residency is that the student agrees to live in and help maintain the ecologically sustainable residential and learning complex.
“There are a few stipulations, but one of the main things the family has to commit to is recycling. We actually monitor for compliance,” said Elaine Adams, coordinator of the Ecovillage. “Our hope is this educates the adults as well as the children, and it becomes a habit for life.”
The complex has been around since the early 2000s and is made up of 50 apartments that were constructed with rigorous sustainability concepts in mind—there is even an on-site sewage treatment plant. Each unit has solar heating, rooftop rainwater capture, energy-efficient appliances and fixtures, low-flow toilets and showerheads, and even outside clotheslines.
There are eight one-bedroom apartments, 38 two- bedroom apartments and four three-bedroom apartments arranged in an oval close to Berea’s main campus. Each residence has space for a raised bed for personal gardening, and there also is a plot for a communal garden.
In addition to being Earth-friendly, the community supports the nontraditional students by giving them a helping hand. The village includes an on-site day care and an after-school program, as well as a Commons House for community and children’s events.
According to Adams, each apartment has a washing machine but no dryer, to encourage people to line-dry their clothing.
“We do have dryers in the community building, if someone really needs their clothes dried fast,” she said.
The community also offers a car for residents to borrow—obviously not a gas-guzzling 1970s four-door, but a Toyota Prius, a hybrid that combines a gas engine and an emissions-free electric motor. The village is within walking distance of the campus, so the car can be used to run errands. There is a mileage fee, but the fee is waived if students carpool.
“It was such a relief to have this car available a few years ago when I did not have a car,” said Tania C. Robinson, 30, a third-year student majoring in public health. “And nice to know there is a backup if someone has car trouble.”
Adams said the idea for the community came about when Berea College was looking for a way to commit to sustainability and, at the same time, help married students and those with children to attend college. Coming up with solutions outside the norm has been Berea College’s way from the beginning.
Damian Buttle
Ecovillage Green
Ecovillage center 08/22/2008
Founded in 1855, Berea College was the first nonsegregated, coeducational college in the South. Black and white students as well as men and—gasp—women attended classes together in those pre-Civil War days. Another factor that has always set Berea College apart is that it does not charge tuition. Students applying for admission must prove financial need, and upon acceptance, they are provided with a full four-year scholarship as well as assistance with housing. In return, each student agrees to work a 10-hour-per-week job on campus.
The original goal of the Ecovillage was to reduce energy and water consumption, and according to Adams, data shows about 60-65 percent usage compared with the general population. Ecovillage also reduces waste, as about half of the residents participate in composting, and 100 percent participate in recycling.
Of course, these facts are impressive, but what do residents think?
“The community living is wonderful,” said Robinson. As the lone parent of a 5-year-old daughter, Robinson appreciates the support of neighbors who are in the same boat.
“When I want to see people, I just step outside,” she said. “There is a playground for the kids, and both my daughter and I have made lots of friends. It is just so comfortable.”
The living situation is also a win-win for Kenny and Shannon Holbrook from Olive Hill. Just a few years ago, they were working full-time jobs in Lexington, and Kenny was juggling going to college, too. With two daughters— one who lives with them full time—the Holbrooks were putting all their efforts into parenting, establishing careers, maintaining their home and two cars, and supporting their busy lifestyle.
“We were praying for a change in our life,” said Shannon. “Our goal was to live simply.”
Kenny said that is when they heard about the Ecovillage at Berea.
After touring the campus and village, the couple knew they were in the right place. They sold their house and lots of belongings, including one of their cars, and moved to Berea.
Kenny, 38, is majoring in agriculture and natural resource management, and the couple hopes to continue this natural lifestyle after graduation, with goals of growing organic food and helping others.
“We love having this close-knit community of young families all around us. We all bond together,” he said. “The worst part is when they graduate. We joke that we need to build an Ecovillage across the street so the graduates can live there, and we can all stay together.”
Robinson said that if she had tried to attend a different school, living in an off-campus apartment with her daughter, she would have been lonely, and life would have been much more stressful.
With just a year or so to go until she gets her degree, she appreciates how far she has gotten.
“I don’t think I could have done this without Berea,” Robinson said.
For more information on Berea College’s Ecovillage, visit:
berea.edu/sens/ecovillage or contact:
Elaine AdamsCoordinator, EcovillageStudent Life Department at Berea College
(859) 985-3179 | elaine_adams@berea.edu