The Ecology School Embraces the Ambitious Nature of the Living Building Challenge

The Ecology School is a nonprofit organization dedicated to innovative ecology education for the youth and adults of New England. River Bend Farm, situated in the Saco River watershed in southeastern Maine, is the site of this living-and-learning community. Drew Dumsch, President and CEO of The Ecology School, was introduced to the Living Community Challenge and the Living Building Challenge by architect Jesse Thompson of Kaplan Thompson Architects in Portland, Maine and he never looked back. The campus now boasts a new 144-bed dormitory and a 7,000-square-foot dining facility and Dumsch has plans to renovate the 1794 farmhouse and an 1840s barn on the River Bend Farm property.  They are currently working towards Living Building Certification for the two new buildings and the entire campus has the Living Community Challenge Master Plan compliant seal. Drew is all in. 

“At The Ecology School, we are focused on community resilience and food systems,” Dumsch says, “so the holistic nature of the Living Building Challenge appealed to us right away. And now that I know it more deeply, I know that the LBC and LCC programs are more rigorous, more thoughtful, and more holistic than other certification programs.”

Drew proudly notes that The Ecology School wound up being the first approved Living Community Challenge Master Plan. And now he’s an ambassador for the program. “A lot of people have not heard of the Living Building Challenge,” he says. “We are helping to spread the word about these aspirations and this pathway to regenerative design and practice. I think it opens up possibilities for many people.”

“What we do best at The Ecology School is living and learning in a place together. It seems natural to have this place built and rebuilt according to the Living Building and Living Community practices.”

Dumsch’s process is unconventional in a few ways. When he interviewed for architects, he liked proposals from three local firms and asked them to come together on the project, so Kaplan Thompson Architects, Briburn, Simons Architects, and Richardson & Associates were all engaged in the campus design. Dumsch sees an element of Maine Pride in this work, too, and is thrilled with how the Living Building and Community Challenges are helping to, as he puts it, “show what the Maine economy can do for resilience and sustainability.” He talks about the community of contractors involved, including Zachau Construction and Hancock Lumber, which handled the FSC lumber and renewed their certification to handle the trusses; Revision Energy for installing the 712-panel solar array to help them get to net positive; and many more. The Ecology School is in the midst of the certification process now, with Kaplan Thompson leading the documentation.

Dumsch is effusive about the ancillary benefits of working with ILFI. “I can think of so many stories of new relationships and new business opportunities because of our interactions with ILFI,” he says. One surprising example he cites is engagement with a national network of real estate agents who are interested in using the regenerative lens and for the past two summers The Ecology School has hosted Latitiude’s National Regenerative Real Estate Gathering in August at River Bend Farm after joining the organization as a guest on its podcast. He also has connected with green schools and regenerative design advocates in Canada at DoorNumberOne.org and they are currently creating a Leading Beyond Green Institute for K-12 school communities to attend at River Bend Farm coming up in July.

“ILFI is doing an amazing job advocating for a Living Future, and we are, too. Designing and building this way, in this beautiful farm location, is part of realizing that possibility.”

“Beyond giving us a strong, highly ambitious approach to building our own campus, the ILFI programs have helped us make many national and international connections,” he says. “We love to convene, connect, and catalyze this important work at our River Bend Farm campus. But more than that, partnering with ILFI is remarkably mission-aligned to us. What we do best at The Ecology School is living and learning in a place together. It seems natural to have this place built and rebuilt according to the Living Building and Living Community practices. ILFI is doing an amazing job advocating for a Living Future, and we are, too. Designing and building this way, in this beautiful farm location, is part of realizing that possibility.”

Cover photo courtesy of The Ecology School.

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