A green school for Western Wayne

Roof gardens, geothermal air conditioning and a Living Machine

By FRITZ MAYER

HONESDALE, PA — What’s a good way to instill the seeds of sustainability in the next generation? One answer is to introduce them to the concept at a young age. That’s one of the reasons the board of the Western Wayne School District has decided that its new elementary school will be one of the greenest in the region.

At a presentation about the planned school in Honesdale on March 10, superintendent Andrew Falonk explained that one of the most unique systems of the school will be a Living Machine, which will be used to manage and recycle the sewage produced at the facility.

Falonk said the site for the school, a 36-acre parcel near Hamlin Corners on Route 191, is partly wetland, and there were no areas of the parcel that would pass standard perc tests. Therefore, it would have been very expensive to construct an on-site sewer-system that would have met Department of Environmental Protection specifications. So the board decided to investigate a Living Machine.

A Living Machine, which is manufactured by Worrell Water Technologies, has been called “wetland in a green house.” It’s a system that uses bacteria to break down the solid wastes in sewage through a series of tanks, and leaves the resulting effluent 99 percent free of solid matter. The effluent can then be used for irrigation, or to grow plants or be used to flush toilets.

Falonk and others traveled to the Darrow School, a coed boarding school in New Lebanon, NY, which has a Living Machine. There the system is integrated into the curriculum. The school web site explains, “Students routinely monitor levels of bacteria, phosphorous, nitrogen, and other biological and chemical levels. They examine plant life, which grows in treatment tanks throughout the facility, and study the concept of environmental sustainability.”

The Western Wayne board decided to go with the Living Machine, but the cutting edge nature of the technology is proving to be a bit of a stumbling block. The DEP considers the technology experimental. Falonk said, “There aren’t any actual functioning Living Machines in Pennsylvania right now, so the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is concerned that we don’t have all the answers as to how it’s going to function and how well it’s going to function and for how long.” Falonk said the school has been in the process of getting a permit for the system for four years, and has had at least 28 exchanges of information with the agency in the past 30 months, but a final review has not yet been started. Falonk hopes he gets the final permit needed to begin construction soon, so the school might be eligible for stimulus funds from the federal government.

But the Living Machine is just one element of the $23 million school, which will ultimately house up to 900 students. The school is designed with numerous green or sustainable elements, which are intended to save the district money over the 50-year life of the school, while also allowing the building to be less of a burden on the environment.

Todd Wescott, the project manager of the school for Burkavage Design Associates, said the sustainable attributes of the school would result in an operational savings of as much as 33 percent per year in direct energy costs such as electricity and heat. He also said with such elements as a green roof that supports gardens, the school itself would become series of learning opportunities for students.

The presentation was one of a series of forums sponsored by Sustainable Energy Education & Development Support (SEEDS).

Green elements of planned Western Wayne School District elementary school

• Geothermal air conditioning system reduces heating and cooling costs.

• Green roof serves as outdoor classroom, and retains storm water that would otherwise need to be controlled elsewhere on the building site.

• Reflective roof membrane, on non-garden areas of the roof, minimizes solar heat gain to the building in summer.

• High efficiency air filtration system enhances the health and comfort of occupants.

• Classrooms are designed to take advantage of natural light, and “light shelves” direct light from windows deeper into the classrooms.

• Automatic lighting controls linked to occupancy and daylight sensors reduce lighting costs.

• Reserve parking for low-emitting and fuel-efficient vehicles and carpoolers promotes reduced use of fossil fuels.

• The Living Machine eliminates the need for a septic or sewer system, and reduces the water needs of the building.

• Reclaimed wastewater and low flow plumbing fixtures reduce water costs, and eliminate the need for water for landscape irrigation.

• Construction materials selected on the basis of recycled content, with a limited amount of volatile organic compounds, provide for healthy work and learning spaces.