With fanfare, a ribbon-cutting, and cisterns full of recent rainfall for re-use, Germantown Friends School dedicated its Sustainable Urban Science Center on September 12. Hundreds of guests toured the spacious and energy-efficient classrooms and labs where upper school biology, chemistry, physics and environmental science classes are taught. Students will be able to save energy – and see just how much -- by using the “dashboard” display linked to a system of sensors to show the building’s water and power usage instantaneously. Environmentally friendly elements include ground-coupled heating and cooling, a green roof with rain-absorbing plants, a series of rain gardens in the Evans Courtyard, solar panels, sustainable materials throughout, and the cisterns.

 

Thomas Tritton, President and CEO of the Chemical Heritage Foundation and former president of Haverford College, praised the “vision, dedication, generosity, and a liberal dose of true Quaker grit” that resulted in the new center. He extolled the curriculum that will make use of the building for students “to explore the joys and pleasures of doing science with their own hands.” And he noted that GFS has “taken responsibility for the impact on the neighborhood of what you’ve just created, and indeed the repercussions for the whole planet.” He concluded, “If you have Quaker tendencies, you cannot avoid just simply doing the right thing. You cannot avoid doing a green building sensitive to the needs of the only environment we will ever have.”

 

Michael Quintero-Moore, environmental advisor to Councilwoman Donna Reed Miller, thanked the School for “making our city a greener place to live.” He noted that “despite our urbanism, we continue to depend on nature for our survival. Through this center, current and future generations will not only learn the importance of environmental responsibility – they will also practice it.”

 

SMP Architects, who worked closely with science faculty, GFS students, and board members, are leaders in sustainable design. The 16,000 sq. ft. facility will receive LEED Certification for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design from the U.S. Green Building Council.

 

The number of students taking science courses at GFS has doubled in the last ten years, outpacing the capabilities of previous classroom and laboratory space. Gen Nelson, chair of the science department and Pennsylvania Biology Teacher of the Year in 2006, stated, “Only at a school like GFS could such a synergy of the Quaker principle of stewardship, environmental science and pedagogy be possible.”