By bernheim
Bernheim celebrated Earth Day 2014 with the arrival of 16 new solar panels. The panels will be installed on the top of the education sheds at Bernheim’s Edible Garden. Set to open on May 17 in conjunction with BloomFest, the Edible Garden is designed to the most rigorous green design standards set forth by the Living Building Challenge (LBC).
Bernheim is aiming to have the Edible Garden be the first fully certified LBC project in Kentucky and the new solar panels help to achieve the design imperatives that Bernheim has to meet for certification.
Our Visitors Center was the first LEED® Platinum certified building in the state, and with the Edible Garden we wanted to be a leader in green design again.
The LBC criteria go beyond traditional sustainable design and incorporate what are called regenerative design principles. Regenerative design looks at how design can make nature better and healthier.
The 240 watt panels are manufactured by SunPower Corporation, a California-based company. Bernheim takes pride in selecting an American manufacturer and noted that doing so also reduced the carbon footprint for the project, a key metric for the LBC certification.
A grant from the UPS foundation is funding the purchase and installation of the panels.
We’ll be sure to post an update as the panels are installed in the coming weeks. Don’t forget to join us for the Edible Garden Grand Opening on May 17.