Calvin's New Bunker Interpretive Center Set to Open in June

May 21, 2004 == MEDIA ADVISORY

This September Calvin College will dedicate a building that might look like a
simple cabin in the woods, but is environmentally friendly enough to qualify
for a prestigious Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold
rating from the U.S. Green Building Council.

The new 5,270-square-foot Vincent and Helen Bunker Interpretive Center - whose
massive picture window surveys the south pond in Calvin's Ecosystem Preserve -
will be one of only a handful of buildings in West Michigan to qualify for a
LEED gold rating.

The building is almost done and plans are in place for its use already in
June.

For example, on June 12 a master naturalist class, sponsored by the MSU
Extension Service, will meet at the center. Beginning June 14, Calvin will
offer five, week-long summer camps for local youth. And there will be an
energy camp for gifted and talented middle schoolers at the center from July 26
to August 5.

Many of the building materials used -including paneling, insulation and
interior trim - are made of recycled materials. Waste is handled by chemical
composting toilets, a sophisticated apparatus independent of the city's sewer
system. Water from the sinks will filter through a biomass area - a large,
indoor planter filled with water plants - before it recycles into the ponds.

And the building will draw 60 percent or its power from the sun.

Helen Bunker, who also donated the Ecosystem Preserve to the college, gave the
original $750,000 gift to build the interpretive center. That was followed by
a $100,000 gift from the Grand Rapids Community Foundation and a $500,000 gift
from former Grandville resident Thelma Vennema. Interestingly, both Bunker and
Venema expressed a strong desire to preserve for the next generation both green
space in Grand Rapids and a knowledge of the importance of ecology and
environmentalism.

For more see http://www.calvin.edu/news/releases/2003_04/bunker_center.htm

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Received on Fri May 21 16:52:50 2004