UMF Ed Center available for green building tours

FARMINGTON — The University of Maine at Farmington Education Center, designed to showcase energy efficient building systems, is now available for free, pre-scheduled tours to educators, students and the general public. This UMF initiative is being launched to highlight the central role education plays in furthering the green building movement and in informing young people about the profound impact it can have on our natural environment, health and economy.

Created to house the UMF College of Education, Health and Rehabilitation, the Education Center was one of Maine's first LEED-registered buildings. The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Green Building Rating System is the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction, and operation of high performance green buildings.

The public tours will feature the building's geothermal heating and cooling system, proven to save 70 percent in annual energy costs compared to a structure of similar size built with traditional building methods in the 1970s; natural and recycled construction materials; non-polluting interior furnishings and energy-conserving windows. For elementary and middle school educators and their students, the tour may be combined with lesson plans and materials developed by UMF faculty and education students to bring the science of green buildings into their classrooms.

Tours lasting about an hour are available during the academic year and can be scheduled by visiting the program's Web site at http://umfedctr.wikispaces.com.