Glenn Engles, from White Star Machinery of Wichita, drives a Bobcat
down the compost pile, with a Brown Bear compost attachment turning the soil to aerate the
mulch. Engles was demonstrating the equipment during the sixth annual Recycling &
Composting Works! conference at Lindsborg
LINDSBORG - The regional office of the Pennsylvania Department of
Environmental Protection sits in the middle of a former landfill.
The architects who designed the building used recycled steel, carpet squares
made of recycled plastic soda bottles and water-based air-conditioning system in the
construction.
They also designed windows in such a way that lighting costs were reduced and
more natural light filters into the building, said Kimberly Hickson, a Kansas City, Mo.,
architect who employs "green" principles in her work.
"Green" buildings use environmentally friendly materials, such as
recycled and natural items, and try to conserve energy use.
Hickson presented a short video history of the creation of the first green
building in the United States as part of Wednesday's opening day at Recycling &
Composting Works!
The sixth annual conference on the campus of Bethany College began at 7:15
a.m. with registration
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and breakfast for the approximately 300 city
employees, farmers, conservationists and environmental activists from across the Midwest.
Fifteen to 20 businesses, organizations and government agencies had display
tables set up at the conference. Among the exhibitors were the Kansas Department of Health
and Environment and Biocorp, a recycling and composting company that creates completely
biodegradable products from corn and recycled materials.
Several sessions were available throughout the day to attendees, including a
program that focused on recycling and reclaiming construction waste, as well as green
building.
Buildings in the region that incorporate green building principles are the
Lawrence Wal-Mart, North Kansas City, Mo., Elementary School and Utilicorp United World
Headquarters in Kansas City's historic New York Life building.
Hickson said that she hoped green building would take off more in other parts of
the country. She said that in 1997, Portland, Ore., recycled 47 percent of its
construction and demolition waste.
"I've always been interested in the environment," Hickson said.
"When I went back to school to become an architect, my mother bought me a look called
'The Natural House'. It covered a whole lot of things, from recycling and composting to
architectural design."
Shiloh Hoffman, from Wood Recycle Composting Center of Wichita,
blows mulch around bushes during a demonstration at the Recycling & Com- posting
Works! conference at Lindsborg Wednesday.
The conference
continues today on the Bethany College campus. Registration and breakfast are at 7:30
a.m., and the event wraps up at noon with the Kansas Recycling Association luncheon.
Will Ferretti of the National Recycling Coalition will be the keynote
speaker, then the Kansas Recycling Association will distribute awards.
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