Sustainability
One of our new and exciting exhibits in 2016. This hands-on “Sustainability Exhibit” allows visitors to explore the impact of applying renewable energy practices to their daily lives while enabling them to become the sustainable practitioners of the future.
Recycling – This is one of the easiest ways for an individual to have a positive impact on
the world in which we live. As population growth continues, the need for alternative waste
management options increases. We simply do not have enough space to handle the waste that we produce. In this section of the exhibit, we introduce visitors to recycling practices.
Solar Energy – 
Solar power is one of the leading forms of sustainable energy within our society.
According to the planned utility scale solar additions for 2016 will total 9.5 GW more than natural gas, wind and nuclear energy. Our region is ideal for solar energy. To continue with our concept of sustainability practices that our visitors can identify with, this exhibit has a section of that encompass solar energy as well as exploring other renewable energy types.
One of the more significant aspects of achievable sustainable development is adequate food production in the future. For this to occur, the world’s agricultural system mustproduce enough food to feed the entire global population while reducing the environmental
impact of greenhouse gasses and on ecosystems. In the food production portion of this
exhibition, visitors are introduced to various local pollinators. Pollinators play a crucial role in our food production. We will be hosting monthly programs on Monarch Conservation in collaboration with The Monarch Alliance.
Almost the entire scientific community agrees that climate change is achallenge in obtaining sustainable development in any region. To push for true success in
sustainability within our community and the communities of our traveling visitors, we will
highlight the relationship between climate change and weather forecasting. According to NASA,
we have put enough greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere since the Industrial Revolution to
raise the Earth’s temperature by 1 degree celsius. Science tells us that if with a 2 degree rise in
the Earth’s temperature, regions all over the world will experience extreme weather. It will
become increasingly imperative for our society to have accurate weather forecasting. The second
part of the house structure will be outfitted like a living room where visitors can record their own weather forecasts and upload them to our TouchCast Page.
(Photographs Courtesy of Derek Sterling)