The daily challenges of living together as a micro-community in this low-impact environment form an integral part of the educational experience.

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The EcoCampus Neighborhood

The EcoCampus neighborhood is a prototype model for sustainable living that is a learning experience in itself. It focuses on making a low carbon footprint and utilizing environmentally sound technologies.

The daily challenges of living together as a micro-community in this low-impact environment form an integral part of the educational experience.

The living quarters are 10 dome-shaped apartments, made of straw-bale and earth-plaster, built on earthquake resistant geodesic frames by past course participants and eco-volunteers.

The neighborhood’s infrastructure includes solar ovens, solar hot water collectors, solar photovoltaic panels, waterless sanitation systems, greywater treatment, vermiculture composting of food waste, and LED pathway lighting.

Enviro-Design: The dome-atories are super insulated (straw bales) with thick interior mass (earth plastered walls and floor) for temperature stability. The buildings are passively heated by sunlight entering the southern windows – the heat is stored in the walls and floors and heats the rooms at night with no need for additional mechanical heating.

Selective window placement for ventilation cools the buildings in the evenings during the hot seasons.

Eco-Materials: Straw bales are a renewable agricultural waste product that is readily available. Earth plasters are a local material.

Together they produce walls that are energy efficient, fire proof (Israel Standards Institute performed fire testing with the CfCE) and carbon neutral (due to carbon sequestered in the straw).

Hands-on Construction: The geodesic framework is engineered to hold up to all loads and earthquakes. It was manufactured onsite by students using readily available steel pipe, a press and a drill.

The frame uses significantly less material than conventional building methods and is a low-tech and highly effective method for combining modern engineering with ancient building techniques to produce safe and energy efficient housing.