Submitted by the WET Science Center
Put on your engineering hat! This week’s Rediscovering Science activities will introduce you to the world of green design. What comes to your mind when you hear “green design?” Start thinking about how we can design our communities for clean air, clean water, green space, reduced carbon emissions, and healthy food. The WET Science Center and LOTT Clean Water Alliance are examples of what green design can look like. Check out the features of our LEED Platinum certified building with our interactive webpage. There are green roofs, large windows for natural light, reclaimed wood from demolished warehouses, and native plants. The treatment plant even converts methane gas produced from the solids into electricity. We call it poop power!
Visit the Rediscovering Science webpage for activities that will get you thinking green. Send us a photo of a Rediscovering Science activity you do to be entered into this week’s raffle for a solar car kit!
Design with Earth in Mind
Green design goes beyond the end products and uses environmentally responsible and resource-efficient processes throughout the entire life-cycle. These processes prioritize waste reduction, resource conservation, recycled products, smaller carbon footprint, and locally sourced materials. Where in your community would you like to see sustainably designed buildings and spaces? At our schools, in parks, in our neighborhoods, along our transportation routes? With Earth’s renewable resources such as the water cycle, sunlight, wind, and soil filtration, the design possibilities are endless!
WET Science Center at Home
Water conservation is an essential element of green design. The average person in Thurston County uses 80 gallons of water per day! Try our Wastewater Tracker to calculate how much water you use in one day. How do you compare? What are ways you can conserve water at home?
Along with our online activities, we’re also making free printed packets to match our weekly themes. The packets include our featured activity, coloring pages, and science activities. Contact us at info@wetsciencecenter.org to find a line with these packets near you, or volunteer to host one for your neighborhood.
Thank you to those who have enjoyed our new resources and reached out to us! Keep up the good work at home, and sharing your fun with us.
