The Ecology School’s River Bend Campus Enters Final Construction and Fundraising Phase
The school’s leaders say they have $600,000 left to raise and they are planning a COVID-Safe Ribbon Cutting Ceremony on Earth Day
Saco, Maine (February 26, 2021) — The Ecology School announced today that it has raised $13.5 MM toward its $14.1 MM fundraising goal and that it plans to cut the ribbon on Earth Day.
When completed, River Bend Farm will be one of the greenest environmental residential learning centers in the country. With a 9,000 square-foot dormitory, 7,000 square-foot dining area, and 718 solar panels, which will create 105 percent net positive energy. The property is substantial in size and vision and represents the latest example of Maine’s—and the nation’s—progress toward a carbon neutral future.
“The new Ecology School campus is unlike anything that Maine has seen,” said Drew Dumsch, president/CEO and co-founder, The Ecology School. “It will be entirely self-sufficient and will provide a living and breathing example of what a sustainable future might look like.”
Despite an unprecedented year amidst a global pandemic, the construction team and staff at The Ecology School have managed to increase their momentum, stay safe, and realize substantial fundraising wins.
The latest major gifts in support of the project include:
$75,000 from Bangor Savings Bank, in support of the school’s Eastern Pathway, which will be landscaped with educationally significant trees and shrubs and will connect the Dormitory to 3.5 miles of on-site conservation trails.
$25,000 from Bernstein Shur, in support of the School Nurse Station & Office, which oversees the health and wellness needs of over 4,000 residential students a year.
$25,000 from Central Maine Power
$25,000 from Hancock Lumber
$20,000 from Efficiency Maine
$5,000 from ReVision Energy
This is in addition to $500,000 from Poland Spring last May, in support of the Poland Spring Education and Dining Commons.
The latest gifts propel the school to a new high, with $13.5 MM raised, $600,000 remaining, and only a few months of construction left.
“We are deeply grateful for our supporters across the country and here in Maine,” said Dumsch. “We believe The Ecology School is not only beautiful, but it offers a striking example of how institutions can combine the most cutting-edge technology on a working rural landscape, integrating buildings from the 18th century, sustainable living, agroecology, and elegant green design and construction.”
Supporters of The Ecology School include the Daniel E. Offutt III Charitable Trust, Jane’s Trust, and Quimby Family Foundation, Saco & Biddeford Savings, among others. In 2019, The Ecology School was awarded an $8.66 MM loan from the USDA Rural Development’s Community Facilities Direct Loan and Guaranteed Loans program, the largest community facilities loan granted to an educational facility in Maine within the past decade. In addition, CEI provided $1.75 MM in long-term financing.
Highest Standards in Green Building
The Ecology School is on track to become the first location in Maine to achieve the International Living Future Institute’s full Living Building Certification (LBC), which is the most comprehensive green building certification in the world. Rather than causing harm, buildings that achieve this certification are regenerative, and actively improve the environment in which they are located. LBC exceeds the rating of US Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), as well as Passive House Institute. According to GreenAmerica.org there are currently only 15 fully certified LBC buildings worldwide.
A COVID-safe ribbon cutting is planned for April 24, 2021.
###
About The Ecology School
The Ecology School is a nonprofit ecology education center that transforms how people think about nature and the environment. Through joyful, hands-on, experiential programming students of all ages learn to become stewards of the environment as they explore local forests, coastal ecosystems, and food systems. Since 1999, The Ecology School has hosted more than 185,000 students and teachers from across the country, educating them about climate change and our impact on the planet. In 2019, The Ecology School broke ground on its new campus at River Bend Farm in Saco, Maine. Upon completion, The Ecology School will become the most sustainable building in the Northeast. Learn more at TheEcologySchool.org and follow The Ecology School on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.
Hi-Res images available for press use. Sample of Dining Commons and Dormitory photographs.
