MTU students give sustainability house tour

This 5,000 square foot residence was home to former Michigan Tech University presidents. But now, students have turned it into a new sustainability demonstration house.

"You know we have to care about our environment, we have to care about our future and just like you plan to put money into a retirement account, you should plan to live sustainably so that you can account for the future,” said Meghan Schultz, the house’s residential advisor.

Some of the features include replacing all the lights with LEDs, composting, measuring waste output and so much more.

By having this, students produce a smaller ecological footprint in addition to educating other visiting students on how to live more sustainable in their lives.

"Being sustainable is really important because it can help you combat climate change, which is a really big issue in today's world,” said Warren Krettek, the Project Manager for Alternative Energy Enterprise.

Meghan serves as the residential advisor for the house. So far, she says she's enjoyed living there and has learned more than she thought was possible.

"I really didn't know how much stuff could be re-used when I moved into the house so living in the house I've become very educated on the issues and because of this education I've been even more dedicated to living sustainably than I was when I initially moved in,” said Schultz.

Warren also agrees. Even though he doesn't live in the house, he's found the knowledge he's gained from working with the Alternative Energy Enterprise team to be extremely valuable.

"When I graduate I really want to work on something in sustainability whether it's solar panels or reducing energy usage,” said Krettek.

They're in the process of seeking new residents for fall 2019. Anyone interested can email Warren at wjkrette@mtu.edu for more information.