Week #2

January 15^th, 2013

State College of Florida has three campuses – Bradenton, Lakewood Ranch, and Venice. Established in 1977, Venice is the smallest both in population and physical size (man-made buildings). I’d almost go so far to say that is doesn’t feel like a college campus when driving up to it. The entryway is lined with oaks, pines, and of course tons of palm trees and there is a small waterway to the left. When you make the left on the road that brings you to the parking lot you are faced with a gorgeous view of the lake and then you finally see the eight educational buildings there. My drive is never short of armadillo sightings, Sand hill Cranes, alligators resting on the bank, and yes the occasional snakes (which I almost stepped on one a few years ago!).

The campus is nestled off US41 South on a hundred of acres of land. You could call it rural as it is surrounded by Venice to its north and North Port to its south. I’ve always known the school was integrated well but had no idea to this magnitude. The founders, planners, and builders did a great job keeping the natural integrity of the surrounding woodlands and also keeping water sources nearby.

As mentioned earlier, there are only 8 educational buildings, accompanied by a few trailers for maintenance and such. Having such a small campus all the buildings are within a few seconds walking distance. I’d say the lay out if efficacious for students and faculty members not having to make treks across campus but also keeps the impact on the local environment lower.

Because the population is so small here, I wouldn’t go so far to say there is “hustle and bustle”, however for all intensive purposes yes, there are some spaces that are conducive to getting away. Upon stumbling on the Environmental Education Center trail, I spotted two hammocks nestled in the shade and a huge fitness trail with benches scattered throughout to relax and have reflective time.

I also never noticed (or perhaps they are new) there were solar panels here, which is the epitome of sustainability and “going green.”

A sustainable campus to me would be more geared toward each building having an abundance of solar panels to reduce energy costs, recycling initiatives, perhaps a smaller, more centralized smoking area (although I could care less about it). At this point, that is all I have in my “eco-friendly” bag of ideas. Since I don’t think in the “green” movement terms my ideas are really quite primitive.