Energy Summit 2022 - Campus & Local Tours
Friday, June 10 2022
Depart from Reich College of Education Traffic Circle at 9:00 a.m. Estimated return time of 11:00 a.m.*
App State Compost
This compost tour will highlight our forced air facility and the benefits of this type of system, along with discussion of our current collection and processing system. We will also showcase some additional equipment we have purchased to support the expansion of our program, as well as discuss our intentions for future expansion.
Campus Gardens
Come explore Appalachian State’s sustainable campus gardens, blooming examples of the university’s commitment to sustainability initiatives like food security and organic practices. We will begin at the Appalachian Roots Sustainable Garden. Some features of the Roots Garden include a solar-powered drip irrigation system, a medium-scale agricultural production demonstration, a willow dome, a miniature wetland, a butterfly garden, and a beehive. Next, the tour will visit the Sustainable Development Civic Garden project, also known as the Edible Schoolyard, which is a mature garden, more than 14 years old. The SD Civic Garden includes a cob greenhouse, a solar dehydrator, composting facilities, medicinal herb gardens, and both annual and perennial vegetables.
High-Performance Greenhouse at App State's Blackburn Vannoy Farm (*estimated to conclude at 11:30 a.m.)
This tour will visit App State's teaching and research farm--the Blackburn Vannoy Farm--in Fleetwood, which is in neighboring Ashe County. We will focus on the newly constructed high performance "Ceres" greenhouse that uses the soil beneath the building's footprint as thermal storage to heat and cool the greenhouse. Our research focuses on thermal performance of this system and its potential to reduce emissions associated with intensive food production and controlled environment agriculture.
Renewable Energy Initiatives (student-led walking tour)
The Appalachian State University Renewable Energy Initiative (ASUREI) will provide a tour of the renewable energy projects on campus. The ASUREI is a student-led group that receives $10 in funding per year from every student at Appalachian State University. Topics to be covered on the tour will include a brief history of the ASUREI, completed and ongoing projects, the group's project management process, various obstacles faced by the group, and a Q&A session.
"Team Sunergy" Solar Vehicle Team Workshop
From 7/1-7/16/22, Team Sunergy will compete in the 2022 American Solar Challenge (ASC). The team will race their vehicle R.O.S.E. (Racing on Solar Energy) over 800 miles from Missouri to Idaho, competing against other schools from around the world. Team Sunergy and R.O.S.E. finished in first place for multiple-occupant vehicles in the 2021 ASC. We invite you to see R.O.S.E. inside and out and meet some of the amazing members of Team Sunergy.
