Ecological center goes solar thanks to volunteer
DELAWARE — In his 10 years as a volunteer at Stratford Ecological Center, Sam Murphy has led young visitors along the paths and pastures of the working farm and nature center.
He’s had a lot of time to ponder its mission of sustainability, conservation and stewardship of the earth.
Then, about a year ago, after installing 15 solar panels on his home, he had an idea.
“I just thought that the solar idea fits into the sustainable agriculture model,” said Murphy, 71. “So I suggested they do it.”
Workers recently finished installing the last of more than 150 panels at the center, which includes an education center, barn, machine shop and farmhouse. Murphy is glad to know his message was heard and that most of the 236-acre operation will be powered by the sun.
“I had a small part in all of this,” he said. “But I’m happy to have been listened to, to actually be taken seriously.”
Murphy’s message was bolstered by other residents who promote solar and alternative energy, said David Hoy, the center’s development director.
“I took the idea to our board of trustees, who agreed wholeheartedly, as it was self-sustaining, ecological and fit our mission: promoting alternative energy versus fossil fuels,” Hoy said. “The funds we save by producing our own power could then be used for more children’s programming about the environment.”
The center’s electricity costs last year were about $9,000. That will soon drop to a few hundred dollars.
“We’re all about walking our talk, and our mission,” said Hoy, citing the center’s geothermal water wells, rain gardens, organic farming, recycling and other sustainable practices.
Other nature centers and park systems strive toward sustainable energy, but it’s not always practical.
At Scioto Grove Metro Park in Grove City, solar panels power parking lot lights. And geothermal heating and cooling cut costs at the Grange Insurance Audubon Park, said Metro Parks Director Tim Moloney.
“As we develop parks, that’s one of our driving practices,” he said. “However, we haven’t seen the cost-benefit of retroactively converting to solar.”
The newly opened McKnight Outdoor Education Center and Wyandot Lodge, along the Scioto River on the Northwest Side, is considered a zero-impact building. With an 80-panel solar array and large, south-facing windows, “it either generates its own or offsets its energy consumption,” said Brian Hoyt, spokesman for the Columbus Recreation and Parks Department.
Meanwhile, as the Stratford center project nears completion, fundraising continues. About $75,000 of the $115,000 goal has been met, said Hoy. Louise Warner, co-founder of the center and a board member, made an initial $40,000 pledge last fall.
High-profile projects can inspire, said David Carpenter, whose Delaware home has had solar panels for 18 years.
“The exposure is really high,” he said of Stratford’s 13,000 visitors annually.
“This is an awesome project in a whole bunch of ways,” Carpenter said. “It’s a community builder. It’s thrilling to see.”