EnvironmentalCenter

Environmental Programs
at Merritt College

The Environmental Center has been built entirely by students and faculty of the
Environmental Studies Program. Charles Ford (Emeritus), former director of the Merritt
College Environmental Program, and Merritt College students and volunteers began
construction on this building in September 1982. California Conservation Corps
members and professional crews also worked on the buildings and grounds. Students in
the Green Building and Ecological Design course continually add to the buildings.
Functions: Environmental Studies Program office space, classroom, laboratory and
Watershed Center.

The center was designed to
demonstrate ways to improve the
homes. Various features of ecological
design include heavy insulation and
weatherizing; energy-saving
replacement windows; high-efficiency
lighting and space heating; "passive"
solar heating; solar electric photovoltaic
panels that power some office
equipment; "active" and "passive" solar
water heaters; recycled and
sustainably-harvested materials such
as floor tiles, carpet, cabinetry,
countertops, decking, fencing,
benches, and door, window, and

opportunity for on-going experiments in edible landscaping, drought-resistant planting, hot
composting and basic composting, and fire and native vegetation management. The
"Resourceful Showcase," donated by the Alameda County Waste Management Authority,
arrived at the Environmental Center in summer of 2004 and demonstrates current green
and ecologically-sustainable building materials.

The Environmental Center was profiled in the San Francisco Chronicle on January 17,
2004. Visit the San Francisco Chronicle's archives online to view the article "Self-Reliance
at Home" by Eve Kushner. The Oakland Tribune also ran an article featuring the
Environmental Center on March 20, 2005, titled "Green House: Builders Raise the Roof on
Eco-Friendly Homes." Visit the Oakland Tribune archives at www.insidebayarea.
com/businessnews for the article.

Merritt Environmental Center Self-Guided Tour

Entry Gate Looking South

Wildlife corridor and Wildfire Vegetation Management transition forest from
Monterey Pine and French Broom to Native Oaks and shrubs
Future site of the AgroEcology demonstration plots
Low voltage LED temporary path lights

Entry Deck

Column will house an Evapotranspiration irrigation controller which measures
moisture and waters only when needed
Drip irrigation system will support the future decorative edible gardens surrounding
the house

Main Room

Daylighting control and insulating window treatments
High ceiling to demonstrate methods of bringing heat back to lower area
Re-used office furniture and equipment saves 2 tons of landfill and 18 tons of waste
created in new manufacturing.
Certified lumber trim from sustained yield forests. Native Tan Oak blackboard trim
from Mendocino mixed forests helps preserve biodiversity by creating a demand for
multiple species.
Re-cycled content commercial carpet lasts 25 years and small patches can be
replaced.
Temporary radiant electric heat is 5x more efficient than electric forced air
Clerestory windows vent heat

Solarium

Thermal Mass floor tiles made from recycled glass
South facing glazing provides winter passive heating
Low vent windows and operable skylight vent heat
"Skylid" adjusts in summer to shade skylight and in winter to reflect more light and
heat into interior

Bathroom

Floor covering from non toxic materials: flax seed oil (linoleum) and jute backing
Very low-flow toilet
Reused fixtures

Kitchen

East Deck

Greywater gravel and biofilter system in reused bathtub waters plants
Roofwater capture and storage

Rear Work Area

Photovoltaic Inverter and Batteries
Insulated Hot Composter makes clean compost in 2 weeks
Greenhouse with Living Green Roof and Strawbale Wall with Earth Plaster
Living Wall
Rain-garden

Demonstration Trailer

Green Building Materials
Small PV system

Solar Electric and Hot Water Panels

4 adjustable Photovoltaic panels and 4 roof panels supply 800 watts of electricity
independent of PG&E grid

Barn to Become Environmental Lab

Wildlife Garden

Factor 10+ Stairs and Entry

Trex, Certified, grown on-site and reused lumber
40% fly ash cement
Reused double glazed door and sidelite
Stainless fasteners and bolts for easy de-construction and reuse
Less toxic treated structural lumber
Whole system produces 93% fewer CO2 emissions than standard construction - this
level of waste reduction is required for all nations to live by US standards

Pathways

Trex edging
Crushed recycled concrete water permeable path base

The Environmental Center and Self-Reliant House

Environmental Management and Technology at Merritt College in Oakland, California

Native Plants support wildlife, pollinators,
and do not require watering, pesticides,
herbicides, or fertilizer
Mulch and compost is used instead
Trex recycled non-toxic LDPE plastic and
wood composite lumber fence used in
compression to take advantage of flexible
characteristic.

Long lasting concrete counter
tops with 30% recycled fly-ash
replacement reduces very high
embodied energy in cement
Reused base cabinet and
handles
Certified Maple veneer over non-
toxic glue particle board cabinet
re-facing
Solar hot water
Greywater drain from sink
Wind-up clock