OCSL in Action
OCSL in Action
Bob Berkebile's Vision for the Future of Regenerative Housing
Bob Berkebile, the founding principal of BNIM Architects, brings more than 37 years of experience to the architectural profession. By combining his design and leadership skills, he has consistently created new approaches to holistic, integrated community building. He utilizes education, historic preservation, quality housing, mental health and public safety, and neighborhood conservation as tools to restore social, economic, and environmental vitality.
CEO Skip Backus: The OCSL Is Built to the Highest Standard
Omega Institute's CEO, Skip Backus was featured in a Poughkeepsie Journal cover story and video because Omega's Center for Sustainable Living (OCSL) in one of three platinum-certified buildings in New York State's Dutchess County.
The OCSL is an environmental education center and natural water reclamation facility built to meet the highest standards currently available in sustainable architecture. It is the first green building in America to achieve both LEED® Platinum and Living Building Challenge™ certification.
Starflower Experiences Tour the OCSL
Turning a Toxic Landscape Into a Place of Beauty
Internationally recognized biologist, John Todd, the designer of the Eco Machine at the Omega Center for Sustainable Living (OCSL), is using similar technology, aptly named the Restorer, to treat commercial waste in the Baima canal in Fuzhou, China.
This 600-meter canal was considered one of the worst in the city due to the influx of 750,000 gallons per day of untreated domestic sewage. The city government worked with John Todd and Ocean Arks to restore the ecosystem to health by creating a Restorer, an affordable and low maintenance "living machine" which utilizes three natural elements—a marsh, a pond, and a stream.
Read the complete case study to learn more about the Restorer
The Incredible Eco Machine on CBS New York News
The Eco Machine™ at the Omega Center for Sustainable Living (OCSL) was featured on CBS New York News: Seen at 11 this week.
The Eco Machine™ is the latest in nature-influenced technology designed by John Todd, a pioneer in the field of ecological design. An Eco Machine™ are water reclamation systems that clean water by mimicking the processes of the natural world. Together, John Todd Ecological Design, Inc., Natural Systems International, BNIM Architects, and the Chazen Companies designed an Eco Machine™ to address Omega's unique needs as a seasonal educational retreat center.
All the water from Omega's campus, including water used in toilets, showers, and sinks, flows to the Eco Machine™, where it is purified by microscopic algae, fungi, bacteria, plants, and snails. This natural water reclamation process cleans the water using zero chemicals. In large dispersal fields under the parking lot, the purified water is returned to the aquifer deep beneath campus.
Learn more about the OCSL's Eco Machine from these frequently asked questions and answers
Won Buddhists From South Korea Visit Omega
A group of eighteen Won Buddhists from South Korea visited Omega Institute this week. They're looking for ideas and inspiration for two retreat centers they intend to build in the Jeolla province of South Korea, saying, "Since the Jeolla province houses the sacred sites of Korea's four major religions, we hope these two new centers will contribute to creating a 'spiritual belt' by providing a place for meditation, healing, edication, and research." Their visit included an tour of the Omega Center for Sustainable Living (OCSL), a discussion about the history of Omega's programming, a campus tour, and lunch. They are staying at the Won Dharma Center in Claverack, New York, not far from Omega.
Construction Digital Magazine's Top 10 Net Zero Buildings
Construction Digital Magazine (June 2012 issue) names the Omega Center for Sustainable Living (OCSL) as one of the top 10 net zero buildings around the world.
Check out the complete list of self-sufficient energy projects from around the globe
Over the course of a year, the OCSL generates more electricity than it consumes. More than 200 photovoltaic solar panels capture energy from the sun at the OCSL. Solar energy, which does not pollute the air or add to the greenhouse effect, supplies 100% of the building's electricity needs.
The International Living Future Institute Honors CEO Skip Backus
The International Living Future Institute recognized Omega's CEO, Skip Backus, along with eleven other leaders, at the Living Future 2012 unConference for their tremendous efforts to adopt and champion the Living Building Challenge™.
For the past five and a half years, the Living Building Challenge has inspired significant change in how buildings are designed, built, rehabbed and operated. In addition to the six projects that have been all or partially certified under the Challenge, including the Omega Center for Sustainable Living, there are nearly 140 projects in the works around the world demonstrating possibilities for the built environment that are helping to pave the way to a restorative future.
Clearwater Receives the First Leadership in Sustainable Education Award
Skip Backus, Omega's CEO (left), presents the first Leadership in Sustainable Education Award to musician Pete Seeger (center) and Jeff Rumpf (right), executive director of Hudson River Sloop Clearwater.
"Clearwater is honored to receive this recognition from Omega Institute for our work to create a healthier, greener, more sustainable and equitable Hudson Valley," said Jeff Rumpf, Clearwater Executive Director. "Clearwater is working to carry forward Pete Seeger’s legacy, cultivating new and diverse environmental activists with environmental education, watershed awareness, and stewardship training. Along with Omega Institute and our partners, we are building a green, sustainable future, one that empowers communities with opportunities for green jobs and puts the "eco" into the economy."
Learn more about the Leadership in Sustainable Education Award
Omega To Award $10,000 Grant To Clearwater
Omega Breaks New Ground by Offering its First Annual Leadership in Sustainable Education Award
HUDSON VALLEY, NY, June 8, 2012 – Omega Institute, home of the award-winning Omega Center for Sustainable Living (OCSL), today announced the creation of a new annual award to acknowledge nonprofit peers who exemplify leadership in sustainable education, and who share Omega’s commitment to building a more just and sustainable world. Omega has chosen environmental champion, Hudson River Sloop Clearwater, as the first recipient of the $10,000 cash award. Omega will present the award at 10:45 a.m. on Saturday, June 16, 2012, during Clearwater’s annual music and environmental festival at Croton-on-Hudson, New York.
“To further our 35-year commitment to environmental stewardship, Omega has created the 2012 Leadership in Sustainable Education Award to recognize a nonprofit organization that has demonstrated significant leadership in sustainability education,” said Robert “Skip” Backus, chief executive officer at Omega and visionary behind the Omega Center for Sustainable Living.
Omega, a nonprofit organization dedicated to lifelong learning through innovative educational experiences, launched the OCSL, an environmental education center and natural water reclamation facility, in 2009. The OCSL is the first green building in America to achieve both LEED® Platinum and Living Building Challenge™ certification, the highest standards currently available in sustainable architecture. Furthermore, the OCSL, a key initiative at Omega, serves as the umbrella to a wide variety of sustainability efforts on Omega’s Rhinebeck, New York campus, including a number of sustainable education programs offered annually.
“For more than 40 years, Clearwater has played a vital role in the Hudson River region with educational programs that inspire leadership in sustainability. We are proud to support Clearwater’s mission and recognize their outstanding leadership with our first annual Leadership in Sustainable Education Award,” concluded Backus.
“Clearwater is honored to receive this recognition from Omega Institute for our work to create a healthier, greener, more sustainable and equitable Hudson Valley,” said Jeff Rumpf, Clearwater Executive Director. “Clearwater is working to carry forward Pete Seeger’s legacy, cultivating new and diverse environmental activists with environmental education, watershed awareness, and stewardship training. Along with Omega Institute and our partners, we are building a green, sustainable future, one that empowers communities with opportunities for green jobs and puts the “eco” into the economy.”
Clearwater’s Green Cities Initiative supports and educates Hudson River communities on how to incorporate principles of sustainability into all phases of municipal and community planning. The Green Cities initiative also calls upon civic and political leaders to consider the environmental impact of long-term policy and infrastructure decisions and how they may affect the health of Hudson River and the long-term economic vitality of the region.
In addition to the $10,000 grant, Clearwater will also receive an organizational development grant for a strategic planning retreat at Omega, to help strengthen their organization and further its mission. Clearwater will also be honored at Omega’s annual Design By Nature conference, October 19–21, 2012.
About Omega Institute for Holistic Studies
Founded in 1977, Omega Institute for Holistic Studies is the nation’s most trusted source for wellness and personal growth. As a nonprofit organization, Omega offers diverse and innovative educational experiences that inspire an integrated approach to personal and social change. Located on 195 acres in the beautiful Hudson Valley, Omega welcomes more than 23,000 people to its workshops, conferences, and retreats in Rhinebeck, New York and at exceptional locations around the world. The Omega Center for Sustainable Living is an environmental education center and natural water reclamation facility on Omega’s Rhinebeck, New York campus. The OCSL is the first green building in America to achieve both LEED® Platinum and Living Building Challenge™ certification – the highest standards currently available in sustainable architecture. The OCSL brings together wastewater recycling, clean energy, green architecture, and other sustainability elements that can be replicated locally and globally and provides sustainability education for students of all ages, professionals, policy makers, and developers. eOmega.org
About Clearwater
For over 40 years, Hudson River Sloop Clearwater has been at the forefront of the environmental movement as champion of the Hudson River, working to pass landmark legislation like the Clean Water Act, providing innovative educational programs, environmental advocacy, and musical celebrations, including the renowned annual Clearwater Festival, to inspire, educate, and activate millions of people. Founded by music legend and environmental activist Pete Seeger, the organization began with the launch of the sloop Clearwater in 1969 —a majestic replica of the sloops that sailed the Hudson in the 18th and 19th centuries. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the 106-foot-long sloop is among the first vessels in the U.S. to conduct science-based environmental education aboard a sailing ship, creating the template for environmental education programs around the world. More than half a million young people and hundreds of thousands of adults have experienced their first real look at an estuary’s ecosystem aboard Clearwater. The organization's strong connection to youth, environmental education, and its agenda to create the next generation of environmental leaders, are all part of building and strengthening a Green Cities Initiative for a green economy and a more inclusive and diverse environmental movement. Utilizing the greatest natural resource in the region, the Hudson River, Clearwater has become the grassroots model for producing positive changes to protect our planet. Clearwater.org
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