CONWAY, Ark. (Nov. 25, 2008) – More than two dozen college students in central Arkansas took part in the first Central Arkansas Collegiate Green Building tour Saturday, giving the students a first-hand look into some of the most eco-friendly building projects in central Arkansas. The tour’s mission was to give students first-hand insight into green jobs, LEED buildings, and energy independence.
Hendrix College senior Hannah Wilkin, junior Drew Gatlin and sophomore Emily Uhar organized the tour as a special research project for their sociology class on the Urban Community, with help from local LEED consultant April Ambrose (Hendrix alumna from the class of 2001). Other event sponsors included the Arkansas Earth Day Foundation, Hendrix College Student Senate, the City of Little Rock, Boulevard Bread Company, and ecoIntegration.
"It was an invaluable experience getting to organize this successful event, work with media, meet April and her work, and learn more about the types of green jobs that are out there," Wilkin said.
The tour, on a biodiesel school bus, included stops at: the future City Grove Townhomes in North Little Rock (NLR); the NLR Junior League; the Argenta Community Gardens; The Vertical Lofts in Little Rock; and the Heifer International building.
After being fed a free meal from Boulevard Bread Company, students gave back to the community by making donations, purchasing merchandise, and making plans to volunteer with the Arkansas Earth Day Foundation.
Ambrose, the founder of Arkansas Earth Day, Chair of the Little Rock Sustainability Commission, and Chief Sustainability Officer of ecoIntegration – a Little Rock-based LEED consulting firm is guiding the certification of the Vertical Lofts and City Grove Townhomes. Michelle Teague, an architect specializing in LEED-certified design with the Little Rock-based Wilcox Group also accompanied the students on the tour.
"We hear a lot in the media about green jobs, but where are they?," Ambrose said. “We who are in the green building business need to hire people, but we cannot find anyone who knows how to do what we do. Training is the missing link. It is important to the future of our business and our industry that we find ways to educate the next generation workforce for green collar jobs.”
Event organizers are already organizing a similar tour in conjunction with Arkansas Earth Day’s annual festival on Saturday, April 25, in North Little Rock.
Hendrix, founded in 1876, is a selective, residential, undergraduate liberal arts college emphasizing experiential learning in a demanding yet supportive environment. The college is among 165 colleges featured in the 2008 edition of the Princeton Review America’s Best Value Colleges. Hendrix has been affiliated with the United Methodist Church since 1884. For more information, visit www.hendrix.edu.