Week 3: Visit to Phipps Conservatory and the Center for Sustainable Landscape

Week 3: Visit to Phipps Conservatory and the Center for Sustainable Landscape

On February 14^th, 2013, EnergyNet ventured out of the museum and to the Phipps Conservatory and the Center for Sustainable Landscape to explore sustainable ways to power a building! We took a tour of the Phipps to see how much energy is required to power rooms that need to mimic conditions that exotic and foreign plant life need in order to live and prosper. For example, the orchid room needs a lot of energy in order to keep the room at a certain temperature and moisture because the flower needs very specific living conditions.




After exploring the Phipps, we headed over the Center for Sustainable Landscape, a building that uses zero net-energy. We learned that the building has an underground filtration and sequestration system for storm water, uses solar panels, geothermal, and sustainable insulation. All of these methods produce and conserve energy with less environmental impact.

 

We learned about different ways to produce energy, free of fossil fuels. Currently, coal is the fossil fuel that most of Pennsylvania gets its energy from. Coal is an expendable resource, so learning about independent energy is important so we can make exhibits to demonstrate this to the public.

This week’s visit helped us to get ready for next week to meet Albert Koller, a geologist, and invertebrate paleontologist at the Carnegie Museum. He will take us up to the geology hall and teach us about fossil fuels, the importance of Marcellus shale, and some aspects of exhibit design.