All across America, and the rest of the world as well, there is a rise in sustainability awareness and the growing need to become a more sustainable community. At the Wild Basin Creative Research Center, we are making efforts to be sustainable not only for environmental reasons but for educational reasons as well. Alongside the many available cans for recyclables, there are several solar panels on the top of the roof of the main building, the main building houses composting toilets, the light bulbs used in the building are energy-efficient, and the staff uses eco-friendly cleaning products as well.
Solar Panels: When the sun shines, its radiant energy is absorbed by solar photovoltaic cells (solar panels). The solar meter tracks the electric energy produced by a solar cell and the electric meter tracks the electric energy that is sent back to the utility grid when the solar cell is not producing energy. By harnessing the natural energy that is produced by the sun, Wild Basin as well as any other place that uses solar panels saves money on the electricity bill and can even help other homes or companies nearby by sharing any excess energy back onto the main power grid.
Composting Toilets: A composting toilet is a low-maintenance organic waste treatment system that uses natural biological decomposition to convert toilet wastes into a small amount of safe, stabilized end-product.
- It uses no water, cutting back on water waste. A normal toilet uses approximately 2,920 gallons per person per year – 2,920 gallons that could be saved!
- It reduces waste mass by over 90%, due to the bacterial and fungal decomposition – there are an estimated 900 billion gallons of untreated sewage each year which is dumped into various waterways in the US.
- The compost can be used to enrich our soil, fertilizing plant life in the area and helping new growth as well as preventing the waste from ending up in landfills – the US produced more than 34 million tons of compostable waste in 2010, 97 percent of which ended up in landfills.
- There is no septic tank in use, no possibility of leakage near endangered wildlife – a lot of areas around Austin have porous ground, which can soak up leaks from plumbing and potentially damage natural areas and endangered wildlife.
Energy-efficient Light Bulbs: Compared to traditional incandescent light bulbs, energy-efficient light bulbs such as energy-saving incandescent bulbs, compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs), and light emitting diodes (LEDs) typically use about 25%-80% less energy and they can last 3-25 times longer. Today’s energy-efficient bulbs are available in the wide range of colors and light levels you’ve come to expect. While the initial price of energy-efficient bulbs is typically higher than traditional incandescent bulbs, newer bulbs cost less to operate, saving money over the life of the bulb. Many of the newer bulbs last significantly longer than traditional bulbs, as well so you won’t need to replace them as often.
Eco-friendly Cleaning Products: Companies like Green Works have created specialized cleaning products that are completely environmentally friendly. Their products are made with plant- and mineral-based cleaning ingredients. They come from biodegradable ingredients that are naturally derived. They are not tested on animals. They use environmentally sustainable packaging whenever possible. They are acknowledged by the EPA’s Design for the Environment program. In using products like these, the staff at Wild Basin is preventing harsh chemicals from being dumped into landfills and causing harm to the local wildlife.
St. Edward’s University’s Wild Basin Creative Research Center is located on 227 acres of federally protected preserve land and is owned by St. Edward’s University and Travis County. Wild Basin is part of a 30,000+ acre preserve called the Balcones Canyon Land Preserve (BCP). By implementing such sustainability measures as solar panels, composting toilets, energy-efficient light bulbs, and eco-friendly cleaning products, the Wild Basin Creative Research Center is not only implementing sustainability efforts to educate the public but also aiding in the protection of wildlife. You can do your part by recycling paper, plastic, and glass and by turning off lights when you leave a room – It’s not very difficult for all of us to do our small part in living a more sustainable lifestyle.
-Anna Hall, Intern at Wild Basin Creative Research Center
English Writing and Rhetoric, Class of 2014