Teira Dadgar--NCSU Solar House

On May 2, 2011 I went to the Solar House next to the McKimmon Center off of Western Blvd and Gorman Street. As an Environmental Technology student, it was surprising that this was my first trip to the Solar House. My professors have mentioned the Solar House numerous times, but I have never made the actual trip out and across the street.

The house is roughly 2150 square feet, including a balcony, sunroom, and garage. It is entirely powered by solar panels on the house. The garage also has solar cells on it to generate power for the structure and an electric hybrid car. Below is a picture of the garage, and the roof that is covered with solar cells. There is also another picture of a toy from 1998. The hot wheels car contains a small solar panel on it that is “guaranteed for life.” The toy demonstrates how mainstream and “old” solar energy was then and is today.

Surrounding the Solar House, there are free standing solar panels and windmills that are used for research by various colleges and researchers on campus. The solar panels and windmills do not contribute to generate power for the Solar House, which I and other visitors originally thought. From the tour, I also learned about the energy savings and energy credits the Solar House gets from Progress Energy. Overall, I think the Solar House is a good advertisement for alternative energy, and a nearby educational resource for people to see how alternative energy does mean sacrifices have to be made as far as home design.

Rocky Branch Corridor and Stream: NCSU Campus - Zack Combs

After making a trip to Fayetteville to visit the Botanical Gardens only to have it rain, I decided to blog about the Rocky Branch corridor here on campus. I had visited the creek before but in doing this project I learned a great deal about the restoration. Years ago stormwater runoff from urbanization (construction, roads, etc.) was eroding the stream in a detrimental way. NCSU launched a three-phase restoration project to improve the water quality and habitat of the corridor as well as the aesthetic value. All natural materials are used to prevent erosion on the banks of the stream and provide cover for wildlife.

While on my excursion I became aware of the purpose and functionality of the multiple parts of a stream. Meanders disperse the energy of the stream while creating deeper, cool pools for fish to thrive in. Streams have riffles as well which are shallower and contain invertebrates, the base of the food chain. Aside from the stream, another vital part of the restoration includes the containment of stormwater runoff. Instead of letting the stormwater run wild into whichever drain it may go, a stormwater pond and raingardens have been constructed (it took me forever to find the pond...).

Wildfire in Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge - Zachary C.

The Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge is a Refuge located off Highway 64 which runs from Raleigh to my hometown Manteo. Last weekend I was able to get out there to experience a wildfire. My younger brother works for the refuge through a high school program involving media, so he was able to get me out there to take some pictures and experience what the wildfire was like as 'media.'

Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge is approximately 152,000 acres in it's entirety. The wildfire covers the southeastern part of the refuge primarily and has reached up to a reported 21,000 acres. The fire was reported Thursday afternoon. On May 6, the fire jumped highway 264, south to Wilmington, closing a ten mile section of the highway in between towns Stumpy Point and Engelhard. The current cause of the wildfire is unknown, but many think it was caused by several different lightning strikes in the area.

The 138 workers, working on the fire are working diligently to contain the spread. They are using bulldozers, marshmasters (amphibious marsh machines), helicopters, airplanes, and several fire engines. There are many people that have teamed up to work on this fire from all around the country. This includes: US Fish and Wildlife, National Park Service, US Forest Service, local fire stations, and NC Division of Forestry Services.

North Carolina Solar Center

Michael Vick and I (Courtney Thompson) visited the North Carolina Solar Center. The Solar House in NCSU campus is of the most visited and visible solar houses in the United States. It was built in the fall of 1981. The NCSU Solar House is on Gorman Street, right behind the McKimmon Center. As might be the same for many other NC State students, the solar house went completely unnoticed by Michael and me until we discovered it for this project. According to The Enterprise 9/4/1984 article the NCSU solar house was the idea of mechanical and aerospace engineers, Albert S Boyers and Herbert Meckerlin. These project directors along with a Raleigh architect, Bruce Johnson, built and designed the 2020 square foot home. The house is two stories and has three bedrooms, two baths, a living and dining room, kitchen, den, utility room, sun space, and balcony. There is 1834 square feet in living space and 320 square feet in sunspace and balcony. The interiors were designed by Wilma Hammott, who wanted to inside to resemble a normal home. The solar house was built to serve three purposes. The first purpose is to demonstrate how solar and energy-efficient technologies can be effectively used in a traditional designed home in this area. The second purpose is to serve as an educational resource for students and the community and the third purpose is to serve as a research lab for graduate students in engineering, interior design, and other studies. Some key features of the home include a sunspace that collects, stores, and distributes solar heat for space heating, solartubes that provide natural lighting, alternative fuels 2-car garage, and an active solar hot water system that heats domestic hot water. The landscaping is built in a way to reduce the home’s energy requirements during each season. Michael and I found the house extremely interesting and would recommend it to anyone who is interested in conserving energy. The staff is willing to help with any questions you may have. The hours are Monday-Friday, 9am-1pm,2pm-5pm and admission is free!

Chase Kennedy - Centennial Campus Center for Wildlife Education

I chose to visit the Centennial Campus Center for Wildlife Education. I have been without a car for the past couple of weeks; so, I had no other choice than to visit something close by. Fortunately though! the education center is quite interesting and surprisingly informative and hands on, especially for its relatively hidden location.

The center seems to be set up for a slightly younger age group, but is still very interesting and contains a lot of information about the wildlife and ecosystems of North Carolina. Probably the most interesting part of the exhibits is the giant high-resolution satellite map that visitors see in the entrance. Much like a map that would be found on googleEarth, this is solely of North Carolina, and is blown up to about 10-15 feet wide.

From the entrance, I was led through various exhibits about mammals, fish, reptiles, birds, and bugs that inhabit North Carolina. It was within sifting through images and interactive programs that I found out Bald Eagles are actually residents of North Carolina that have migrated from the Appalachian mountains, and a couple of alligator species are mostly found in my home-region of North Carolina. (I’ve never seen a wild alligator there, but I guess its true!) Finally, there is a history of wildlife in North Carolina, relating to laws/hunting/species movement, and a great wall of photos from a recent wildlife photography contest.

Chris Maher - NCSU Solar House

The NCSU Solar House was designed with three primary purposes, to demonstrate how green energy can be incorporated into houses, act as an education resource for anyone and serve as a research lab for students of NCSU. The house showcases features and designs that promote energy efficiency that can be used in many settings. Landscaping and insulation can play key parts in keeping the house warm or cold and reduce costs by encouraging warming solar radiation, deflecting cold winter winds and channeling breezes for cooling in spring, summer and fall. Additionally, the house has examples of solar panels being used to power LED street lights and wind generators provide additional energy.

Throughout the entire house there are examples of how much energy can be saved just from changing materials or technology. For example, traditional light bulbs consume 4 times the energy of high efficiency light bulbs and insulation can save countless dollars on heating and cooling. The garage highlights an alternative fuel station with thin-film PV on the roof to provide energy for charging electric cars.

With all the solar panels and wind generators around the property, the solar house shows that you can utilize green energy and keep an aesthetic appeal.

Walid Nazari: Hemlock Bluffs Nature Preserve

For my class blog, I decided to go to Hemlock Bluffs Nature Preserve, located in Southern Cary. The Preserve is approximately 150 acres that is situated along Swift Creek. It contains about three miles of trails, some of which is owned by the

town of Cary and other parts by the State of North Carolina. When you walk up to the place, you don't really expect much because all you see is one semi-large building. However, once you actually look at the map they provide you, you realize that this place is GIGANTIC. They have on-site tour guide

s if you need them and all sorts of different view points to look at, such as a patio section, as well as a walking bridge. Depending on which trail you take, you are able to see all sorts of different species around. The cool thing that they have is that there are different numbers at different sections of each trail that tell you what to expect there, like different plants/trees or animals. The Swift Creek Loop trail primarily shows you a great assortment of plants, trees, and shrubs. The Chestnut Oak Loop Trail, which is over a mile long, has more of the wildlife. When walking both of these trails, I realized that it's literally a breeze! I mean, I really didn't notice how long each was because everywhere I looked, there was always something that caught my eye. Even if you didn't like the we

ather outside and didn't want to walk, the Stevens Nature Center(big building in the front) has a great indoor exhibit hall, which offers displays that explain the uniqueness and history o

f the area to visitors, as well as educate citizens about the

environment. There is all sorts of information on soils, forests, animal habitats, nocturnal animals, local parks and green ways, as well as historical background on the preserve and the Cary area.

In conclusion, the Hemlock Bluffs Nature Preserve was a great place to go and see! They had very helpful people there that were very knowledgeable about the area. Also, if you don't need assistance, then you can go solo through the preserve and see what it has to offer. I give the place two green thumbs up!