RIT Works to Finish Large "Green" Project

"The vision has been around for many years. It just required a lot of work," says Nabil Nasr the Director of the Golisano Institute for Sustainability.

Tom Golisano donated 10 million dollars back in 2007 to start work on this project. "Really the main focus here is to develop a learning lab so the whole building is considered to be living laboratory," says Nasr.

The actual building is just part of what is green here. "We actually generate power for the entire building with renewable energy sources right here on site and we manage it in a lab we call it the micro grid lab," says Nasr.

That way researchers and students learn, while the school and environment save. "We have solar, wind, we have fuel cells, we have geothermal, we have a large battery system and all of those provide the power for the building," adds Nasr.

With all of those green features combined, this building uses about 56% less energy then other buildings this size. The building and it's technology is like one big classroom. and it's not only for students and researchers at RIT, but for the entire community. Companies can use the space to test out their latest projects.

Nasr says, "we are demonstrating technology, helping to develop new technology, we're also developing the next generation of work force. The professionals that work in the field."

There are 37 "green" features here. Many of them are still be finished. But the hope is to have everything done and everyone moved in by mid April.