Talking Stick - September/October 2008 - 10

Just In Platinum Is the New Green for Duke’s Smart Home The Home Depot Smart Home at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, a 10-person student residence hall designed for green living and learning, has achieved a top-level platinum standard for its design from the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system. The Talking Stick has been following the home’s development, reporting on the construction and programming plans for the home in March 2007 and announcing its opening in May 2008. The 6,000-square-foot residence hall, designed by students and advisors, earned 59 out of a possible 62 points in the rating system, making it “the first platinum-rated residence hall on the planet,” says Smart Home program director Tom Rose in a press release. It is also the second building in North Carolina to receive platinum certification, the first being a renovated 100-year-old building in downtown Raleigh. Along with its roof of plants, solar cells, and rainwater cisterns, the Smart Home also includes a fiber-optic network with the fastest Internet access on campus, about 40 gigabytes per second. The fivebedroom, three-bath building is not only designed to be adaptable, environmentally sustainable, and technologically integrated but also provides the physical space where students can work to create and deploy more “smart” solutions. “The mission of this program is to investigate and develop new technologies that will enhance the operating efficiency of mark Gu family homes and to model sustainability practices. This, however, can be translated in many ways to a larger scale . . . like campus residence halls. I learn something every time I visit,” says Eddie Hull, dean of residence life and executive director of housing services. “We are only six months into this program, but it is already clear that there will be significant outcomes resulting from this venture.” “From a research perspective it is successful, and now from a publicity standpoint it is successful,” says Mark Gu, student resident and vice president of house initiatives, about the ranking. “Part of the goal of the Smart Home is to promote living sustainably, effectively, and comfortably. This more than exceeds my expectations.” The $2-million-dollar residence hall and research laboratory is part of a larger program in which more than 100 students from different areas of study form teams and conduct research on “smart” living. Since 2003, Duke has designed all of its new buildings and building renovations to meet LEED standards and now has 20 certified buildings, including one gold and seven silver. To learn more, visit news.duke.edu/2008/06/smartleed.html. 9 CONTINUED Web Site Is Wealth of Health Information for Women and newsgroups that answer questions and offer support in times of need. “These networks can serve as important sources of advice, support, and sources of new information,” Blumenthal says. “However, it is also important for college women to understand the limitations of these online communities and not substitute involvement in them for seeking medical advice and treatment.” 10 Talking Stick The Web site is currently being managed by students and faculty at Brandeis, which Blumenthal feels is vital to the site’s success: “By involving students in the maintenance and updating of the site, it ensures that the special needs and concerns of students are being addressed.” 4collegewomen.org provides resources in both English and Spanish and will soon include media elements such as streaming videos and Webcasts. “Knowledge is power when it comes to your health,” Blumenthal notes. “And with this Web site, students can become savvy women’s health consumers, using the information to build a healthier future for themselves, their friends, families, and their college campus.”

http://news.duke.edu/2008/06/smartleed.html http://4collegewomen.org

Talking Stick - September/October 2008

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