Hitchcock Center: What is it and why is it so cool?
By Charlotte Relyea-Strawn for the Northfield Mount Hermon Ecoleader’s Newsletter
GILL — HITCHCOCK CENTER: WHAT IS IT AND WHY IS IT SO COOL?
The Hitchcock center located in Amherst, Massachusetts, is not just a regular building that offers activities to kids! It is unique because it is the 23rd Certified Living Building in the world and the 4th one in Massachusetts! It is a living building because it has net zero energy meaning it is completely sustainable. What is net zero? Net zero means that the greenhouse gasses being produced and taken out of the atmosphere are balanced so there isn’t an increase of carbon dioxide in the air. Specifically the Hitchcock center uses net zero energy for building its own harvests, recycling water, composting toilets, and eliminating toxic materials.
OPPORTUNITIES FOR KIDS
It is an immersive building for kids with many hands-on activities and a great way to learn about the environment and climate change.Kids and teens are given the skills and tools to help our planet’s ecological system, sustainable communities, and effective economies that they can implement into their everyday lives.
COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY EQUITY AND INCLUSION
The Hitchcock center aspires to have a community that highlights diversity, equity, and inclusion. They recognize that they are mostly white, and privileged to be able to learn and grow in a place like this. They constantly are adjusting their mission and goals to become more aware of white supremacy and how to be inclusive of everyone. The Hitchcock center also lies on Indigenous Peoples land, so to be able to teach there they have to acknowledge that it is stolen land and honor the people who made this place the way it is now.
AWARDS THEY’VE RECEIVED
The have received many awards such as the 2019 Secretary’s Award for Excellence in energy and Environmental Education/MA Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, Boston, 2018 Honor Award for Sustainable Design/Boston Society of ARchitects, Boston, and 2019 Certified Living for Achieving the Living Building Challenge/International Living Future Institute, Seattle.
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