Land Use and Infrastructure

Introduction

Data Collection

Land Use by Area

Developed

• building/paved- Approximately 58 acres make up the main campus. There are roughly 250,000 square feet of buildings; the rest is either paved or maintained lawn space.

Forested

• current use- As of 2001, 264.4 acres of college owned forest were productive woodland.
• non current use- As of 2001, 1.6 acres were unproductive wetland.

Cultivated

• orchard- approximately 15 apple trees scattered throughout the main section of campus.
• farm- less than 1 acre.

Total Land

• Our total acreage, including the area not directly connected to our main campus (Red House, Whittemore House, etc.) is approximately 350 acres.

Products from Land Use

Types of Products

• From the farm- Many products were planted, most harvested and given or sold to community members, the kitchen, or those who have worked on the farm. Several plants were eaten by hungry animals. The plants harvested were as follows: peas, strawberries, Holy Basil, parsley, lettuce, chives, swiss chard, kale, onions, spinach, celeriac, tomatoes, leeks, pumpkins, squash, basil, carrots, peppers, beans, cucumbers, garlic, scapes and cabbages. These came in varying quantities, with the most plentiful being the basil.
• From elsewhere on campus: Apples were harvested to make approximately 150 gallons of cider this year, and were harvested by individual community members for personal use.

Management of Products

• A student farm manager and assistant farm manager, who are responsible for organizing work days and overseeing projects on the farm, are hired by the farm committee each year. Along with the committee, they are responsible for planting, maintenance and harvesting. Much of their work happens over the summer.
• The apple trees have not had a designated caregiver in the past, but there is an initiative on campus spearheaded by Clare Hipschman to begin care and expansion of the edible plants on our main campus. Part of this process will be dedicated to the care of our current orchard, which has many trees that are over 100 years old. New blueberry bushes were planted this October as part of our 10:10:10 global work party efforts, and as the beginnings of our developing interest in bringing edible plants to visible, high traffic locations around the college.

Building Maintenance

Construction Projects

• New Outdoor Program extension: After many permit hangups, OP construction has finally gotten underway this fall. The original plan for the building featured all locally harvested wood, and while this is no longer a possibility the construction team (primarily Randy and Don) remain committed to purchasing wood from local suppliers. The steel I-beam that is required for this building is being salvaged from a local source in Brattleboro, and the glue-based OSB plywood has been donated.

• Greenhouse: A concept originally conceived of by student Kenny Card, the greenhouse has now been picked up as a maintenance construction project. While we continue to try and fund-raise for this project, the foundation is now poured and completed. We have made compromises from the original plan to use lots of stone and pour and mix the concrete ourselves, but ultimately this compromise was made in order to cut back on the labor involved and ensure that the foundation will be stable. We are using salvaged glass from our own Person's Auditorium, and local, rot-resistant hardwoods. In the early stages of the project, Black Locust was harvested by students (with the invaluable help of Randy) from local landowners' yards. We have since switched to getting our wood from a local supplier, but we will use all our student harvested Black Locust first, and this supplier is working to find us more Black Locust. The timber framing for the building will be done by local Monica McNeill. For the sills, we will be using redwood, which will have to be shipped across the country, but we have decided to use no pressure treated wood on the entire building. On the row of windows between the roof overhang and the ground, we will be using salvaged glass from ReNew Building Materials and Salvage in Brattleboro. The most environmentally costly part of this project will be the insulation. We cannot realistically afford to buy soy-based insulation, and the insulation needs to meet fire codes. We will be using typical, fiberglass insulation.

• New Dining Hall/ Mather/ Admissions Renovation: We are in the process of renovating the front, most visible section of the college surrounding these three buildings. This construction process is designed to keep cars off many places on campus where they currently have access, and to decrease the amount of paved space in these areas. The Standing Building Committee has been in charge of critiquing the architect's design; while they are concerned about the environmental impact of this construction, their primary concern has been making sure the design is consistent with the current look of the college, and that it directs traffic patterns (of both pedestrians and cars) in a way that's appropriate. The construction on the admissions parking lot has been contracted out, but some of the other construction projects may be completed internally. Part of the goal of this renovation is to influence the way we handle snow clearance here. Rather than doing it all by plow, we will begin using snow blowers, at least in some areas, in the hopes of cutting down on the damage to the edges of dirt paths that happens ever year. Using snow blowers, we hope, will help keep these paths narrow. This is all part of the effort to maintain green space on campus, rather than eroding it with impromptu paths. No serious landscaping will take place in the from of ripping up trees or changing contours. Some lights may be installed (though this is not yet final) but these lights will have motion sensors or timers wherever possible.

Other Projects

• Thermal House: An in depth analysis of our heating efficiency was conducted during the '09-'10 school year.
• Light bulb Efficiency: KP, our campus electrician, has been involved in changing light fixtures on campus to increase efficiency.
• For more information about both of these efforts, and others, please see our Energy page.

People and the Land

How many people/ how frequently walk in the forest?

Eat college apples?