VTC Offering Sustainable Design,
Technology Classes To Community

Vermont Technical College’s new Sustainable Design and Technology program will offer two evening courses this spring and members of the White River Valley community are welcome to attend. The classes begin meeting next Monday, Jan. 14 at the VTC campus in Randolph Center.

Both courses will be offered as either "for-credit" or "just for personal interest" and will be taught in such a way that they will be of value and interest to anyone, regardless of one’s math or science skills.

The first course, Green Energy Technical Survey, will meet Monday and Wednesday evenings from 6:30-7:45 p.m. in Morrill Hall, Room 137. It will introduce students to the technical issues related to the application of renewable energy systems for power and heat generation. The systems will be studied in terms of current and potential production capacity, resources and distribution issues, technology installation and life-cycle costs.

Specific technical topics will include small and large scale power grids and power transmission, fuels, electrical energy storage, combustion systems (diesel and hydrogen), fuel cells, solar and geothermal systems, photovoltaic systems, wind and hydropower, hybrid systems, and combined heat and power.

The second course, Environmental Soils, will meet Monday and Wednesday from 5:30-6:30 p.m., at Green Hall, Room 116 and include "lab" time Wednesday until 8:30 p.m. The class will give students an introduction to soils, using lecture and labs to gain hands-on experience. Topics include the mechanical classification of soils, the identification of the seasonal high water table, an overview of wetlands classification and applicable regulations, and an overview of issues of soils and agriculture.

For more information, e-mail Joan Richmond-Hall at jrichmond@vtc.edu or come to the first class meeting, Monday, Jan. 14.

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