Certified Case Studies

The name of the house, Burh Becc, stems from the Old English origin of the owners’ family name, meaning “dwelling by a creek.” Burh Becc was designed to be a “Living” farmhouse, meshing perfectly with the owners’ goal of restoring their entire 15-acre (6 hectares) plot of depleted farmland one mile (1.6 kilometers) southwest of…

Alice Ferguson Foundation (AFF) is a nonprofit organization, chartered in 1954, that is based at Hard Bargain Farm Environmental Center in Accokeek, Maryland. The Foundation’s mission is to provide experiences that encourage connections between people, the natural environment, farming and the cultural heritage of the Potomac River Watershed that lead to personal environmental responsibility. As…

For the SEED (Sustainable Energy Every Day) Classroom, the SEED Collaborative sought to construct the nation’s first sustainable, modular classroom as an equitable and sustainable solution to the ongoing issue of classroom space, while also providing a hands-on teaching tool that would teach and inspire students to be stewards of their environment. Approximately one in…

Smith College’s Bechtel Environmental Classroom in Whately, Massachusetts is a new, 2,500 S.F. single-story wood-framed classroom building, acting as a field station for a 233-acre forest and pasture property. For the past 60 years the property has accommodated an astronomical observatory. Recently, Smith College declared its intention to open the pastoral setting to class activity,…