At least one group on Ohio State’s campus is dedicated to promoting and researching environment-friendly and energy-efficient building practices.
For the third time, the Columbus Green Building Forum presented their Green Building Expo on Tuesday, as a part of its mission to encourage environmentally friendly practices.
Meera Parthasarathy, founder and executive director of Columbus Green Building Forum, said the purpose of the expo was to educate people on “green” practices.
“This is all about education,” Parthasarathy said. “Educating communities so they can have
greener lifestyles.”
Some parts of the expo were free and open to the public. Exhibitors came with information about electrical alternatives, solar and wind power and creating buildings using green construction options.
Katrin Klingenberg, executive director of Passive House Institute USA, spoke about reducing the carbon footprint in offices, homes and schools.
Klingenberg, the keynote speaker at the event, said Europe has already established structures that greatly reduce their emissions. She hopes that the United States will begin to catch up with other parts of the world.
The expo was centered on teaching communities ways to limit their consumption and establish a more sustainable lifestyle.
“We want to teach people how to rebuild their homes to be better for them and better for their community,” Parthasarathy said.
Sierra Cooper, a third-year in psychology and English, said these green initiatives are great ideas for the university to implement.
“It’s good that they are making an effort to teach people about this, better than doing nothing,” Cooper said.
At the expo, local green leaders had a round-table to discuss issues and solutions around
central Ohio.
After the round-table there was a screening of the movie “Deep Green.” The film took several years to make and is centered on making every aspect of life “green.”
Organizers and leaders of the Green Building Expo hope to help those who want to learn more about creating a sustainable lifestyle in the hopes of preserving natural resources.
