Synergy: The Colorado College Sustainable Living Experience

"Synergy" is a living, learning community striving to be a center for applied environmental education, awareness, and action at Colorado College. Living in an ecologically conscious manner, the six students inhabiting "Synergy" each year will apply sustainable living techniques and concepts to their lives while outwardly teaching these practices to the larger Colorado College community and beyond. From operating a permaculture garden in the backyard and working with local organic farms, to renovating the house for energy/water efficiency and purchasing wind energy, "Synergy" offers the amazing opportunity for students and community members to visualize and practice the ideal of living as sustainably as possible. This little house stands to nourish the fertile seeds of the dawning sustainable living revolution.

Providing students an on-campus sanctuary of natural life and beauty, the Student Organic Garden at Synergy is celebrated with hands in dirt; and brazen shovels as a triumphant recommitment to our relationship with our land. The garden resides behind Synergy House, on east campus at 1006 Weber street. The garden, funded by EnAct and donations, such as Herb'nFarm's 2003 $500 donation, is designed to educate students about sustainable gardening techniques through hands on experience. In the winter months students collaborate with alumni advisors, and local horticulture and permaculture experts, to actively design planting schemes and schedules for the coming growing season. Designed with permaculture, xeriscape, and native horticultural concepts, the goal of the garden is to become an exemplary demonstration of climate-specific, household scale, sustainable agriculture. In its first year, the garden produced 130+ pounds of fruits vegetables, and herbs. The garden is annually fertilized by the compost from the two 80 gallon self-contained community compost bins. See the yield of the garden for the Summer of 2003 here.

Visit the Synergy homepage here, or if you are interested in more information contact Max Harper.

Check out the original Synergy proposal here.

Check out an energy analysis of Synergy here.