Green Living is Good Living

Located on the front most corner of campus, Plymouth State University's Ecohouse is a dream home for students dedicated to sustainable living and green renovation, and is currently accepting housing applications for the upcoming academic year.

PSU's renown as being dedicated to service and as fostering an environmentally conscious community finds a harmonious marriage in the Ecohouse, where students live to serve the community and the environment together.

The Ecohouse house offers its residents an opportunity to live with other students, but with more comfort and intimacy than in a residence hall. For the cost of a single dorm room, students can live in a recently renovated, two-story home equipped with two bathrooms, laundry facilities, a spacious kitchen, two large living rooms, and a bedroom of their own. Student residents gain not only the experience of living in a house, but also an education in alternative ways of living that are beneficial to the environment, which they in turn pass on for the greater good. 

"It's a fantastic sense of community," Ecohouse resident Samantha Orlando says of her experience in the house. "Living here is a group learning experience. You get what you give." 

The Office of Environmental Sustainability, which sponsors the Ecohouse and many of its projects, is dedicated to developing a plan to meet the goals of PSU's Climate Action Plan, which includes efforts towards achieving carbon neutrality and a widespread focus of sustainability.

But there are many campus organizations whose goals rely heavily on the service of the Ecohouse in becoming a reality. Common Ground (the student environmental and social justice organization), the President's Commission on Environmental Sustainability, PSU's Sustainability Fellows, and the University Environment Committee also collaborate often with the residents of the Ecohouse to accomplish steps towards greener living.

"Because of [co-directors] Brian Eisenhauer and Steve Whitman" President of Common Ground and Ecohouse resident Jane Duggan says, "we are constantly surrounded by real-life applications of green living."

One of the many major projects the Ecohouse has achieved includes the impressive installation of Solar Collectors for water heating. The house also focuses on smaller-scale features, such as thermal window inserts that absorb heat to save energy. These projects with renewable energy systems, sustainable design and other technologies help in achieving the organizations' goal and give students an understanding of how the average household can become environmentally friendly. 

"Living here teaches you responsibility," says Ecohouse resident Lauren Comis. "What you learn here, you'll carry with you outside of college."

The appreciation for what the house represents for the community is undeniable to its residents. "It's not the average living environment in a college," said Duggan. "It holds much more meaning," to its residents and the community at large. 

"I haven't given up anything, I've only learned. If you have an open mind you can take a lot from the experience" Orlando says of the green living habits in the house. 

Applications, available on the PSU website, are due by Fri., Mar. 16 at 4:30 p.m. to Mary Lyon's Residential Life Office. Due to recent surge in interest in the Ecohouse, it is recommended that students submit applications sooner rather than later.