Camp in East Bay Allows Students to Experience Responsible Energy Use
Livermore, CA
Camp Arroyo is located on a 138-acre site at Del Valle Regional Park south of Livermore. The site is the former location of the Alameda County Tuberculosis Sanitarium, at the end of Arroyo Road. In 1996 The Taylor Family Foundation decided to construct Camp Arroyo to support children in need, and partnered with the East Bay Regional Park and YMCA. Camp Arroyo is now one of the Bay Area’s Premier Environmental Education and Conference & Retreat Centers, and receives over 6,000 visitors annually. During the school year, many of these visitors are students in the 4th-6th grade, staying for up to 5 days. James Choe is the Director of Outdoor Environmental Education at the YMCA Outdoor School at Camp Arroyo in Livermore, California. Recently I was able to talk to Mr. Choe about many of the exciting energy related activities campers get to experience. Camp Arroyo was selected as a PG&E Solar School given their environmental vision, and connection to thousands of students.
The entire facility was built to be a working example of sustainable design and green architecture including: efficient windows and proper orientation to provide passive solar, solar hot water systems, and even a straw-bale building allow campers to understand that “going green” is not only good for the environment, it can be comfortable, economical, and attractive. The facility was recognized as one of the Top 10 Green Projects of 2002 by the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Committee on the Environment.
For all green architecture aficionados out there, be sure to check out the Siegel & Strain Architects Camp Arroyo overview- http://www.siegelstrain.com/inst-arroyo.html.
In small naturalist-led Adventure Groups, students explore topics including: geology, watersheds, natural history, local Native American history, and a climbing wall. Topics are carefully designed to engage students, while at the same time correlating with state curriculum standards.
Students also study renewable energy sources. As one of the first round winners of the PG&E Solar Schools Installations in 2004, many activities revolve around solar energy. First, small solar panels are explored. Series and parallel circuits, solar panel orientation and shading are investigated. Next, solar is taken to a more concrete level. Larger panels are used to demonstrate power to a fountain and everyday electrical devices. There are two photovoltaic installations at Camp Arroyo - one next to the organic garden (powering a fountain), and the 1kW pole mount located down the hill (grid-tied). This continues the theme of becoming responsible citizens - keeping our impacts on the earth to a minimum.
If Camp Arroyo has you ready to pack like me, you can get more information at their website: http://www.ymcaeastbay.org/camparroyo/ Or, contact James directly at: jchoe@ymcaEastBay.org.
