By Andrew Thornton
Class of 2004

The whirring of the wind tower buzzes like some omnipresent insect; the blue photovoltaic panels and heat efficient windows reflect the clouds and sky like a faceted compound eye, while the local cedar slats of the roof serve as exterior protection. These are some of the more obvious green aspects of the McLean Environmental Living & Learning Center (MELLC), Northland College's state-of-the-art environmental residence hall.

In 1995, Northland needed a new residence hall. Tom Wojciechowski, a then Northland College staff member, started working on how to make the building as energy efficient as feasible under financial restraints. Along with his class of students and an architect team, design began with a goal of exceeding energy efficiency requirements of the Wisconsin building code by 40 percent.

For an entire semester, Wojciechowski and his class worked on researching materials and efficient design aspects. Some of the materials the students decided to use include the cedar roofing tiles, which they found within an hour's distance to campus, and old-fashioned linoleum, produced from linseed oil rather than petroleum. In 1997, design was complete and construction began. The building was finished in 1998, yielding Northland's most energy efficient building so far, one that exceeds code requirements by 54 percent. Tom Wojciechowski contributed the savings more to the efficient designs of the building than to the renewable energy systems, including the wind tower and the photovoltaic arrays. “It worked, with better efficiency than expected,” said Tom. “I just wish the renewable resources worked better.”

The renewable systems did not work out as well as many had hoped they would, presenting a recurring source of headaches. The wind tower was very unpredictable, with burnouts a common occurrence in the past few years. However, with the recent replacement of the old experimental wind turbine with a new, more dependable, lower-output wind turbine, this will change. Already the electricity-producing propeller blades whoosh softly above campus.

Students love the MELLC not only for its green aspects, but also for its livability. The kitchens, lounges, patios, greenhouses, and large rooms appeal to the residents at least as much as the recycled-plastic furniture and locally grown wood. But while living comfortably, students are also living more sustainable, and that's what the MELLC is all about.