Tuesday, Aug. 12 at 5:30 p.m. — RUTLAND — The Green Mountain Power (GMP) College Connections series is hosting a presentation titled “Energy and Culture: Sustainable Building and Civic Engagement” on Tuesday, Aug. 12, at the Energy Innova- tion Center, 68-70 Merchants Row in downtown Rutland. The free public event begins at 5:30 p.m. and will last approximately an hour. Light refreshments will be served. Professor Paul Derby of Castleton College will give a talk entitled, “Energy and Culture: Using Sustainable Building to Promote Multiculturalism in American Society.” Professor Derby’s presentation will include a documentary by Castleton College student Benjamin Carsten. The presentation and video documentary explore the influence of culture on sustainability. The documentary shows how Vermont students from Castleton College worked side-by-side in communities in the American Southwest helping to promote multiculturalism and cultural sustainability by restoring historic adobe buildings. Students learned how adobe is environmentally sustainable because it uses local, natural, and renewable building materials from the earth, is highly energy efficient, and requires a fraction of the resources needed in conventional building methods. The monthly GMP College Connections lecture series was created as part of an agreement between GMP and all four Rutland County colleges to work together to bolster economic, educational and community development. The talks will be given by faculty from each of the Rutland County colleges. The presentations will explore a variety of energy issues, including the science of energy, renewable power, financial concerns and the psychology of energy use. All talks will be held at GMP’s new Energy Innovation Center. In addition to Castleton College the other participating colleges are CCV, Green Mountain College and the College of St. Joseph. For more info, visit greenmountainpower.com.
