Students and faculty from Appalachian State University pose for a photo after accepting second place in the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2011 Communications Contest. The Appalachian Solar Decathlon team recently won the Green School of the Year Award from the U.S. Green Building Council’s N.C. Triangle Chapter. Photo Courtest of Stefano Paltera | U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon

The award was presented at the 2011 Green Awards Gala, held in Raleigh in December. The ceremony celebrated leaders in green building and sustainability within the state.

The U.S. Green Building Council aims to promote sustainability through cost-efficient and energy-saving green buildings. Its N.C. Triangle Chapter selected Appalachian as Green School of the Year, although Boone is outside the region in which it usually operates, said Lauren Klauke, the chapter’s executive director.

“App State was chosen because the committee, made up of professionals within the building industry, was really impressed with their creativity and their energy that they put into the project,” Klauke said. “Folks were really proud that North Carolina had great representation.  This was a great example of looking to the future.”

Senior interior design major Jackie Stewart, who served as assistant design director for the Solar Decathlon, represented Appalachian at the gala and participated in a question and answer session.

Appalachian was one of 20 schools chosen to compete in the U.S. Department of Energy’s biennial Solar Decathlon. Team members were tasked with designing, building and operating a solar-powered house that was cost-effective, energy-efficient and aesthetically appealing. Appalachian’s Solar Decathlon team, anchored by a core group of about 40 students and faculty, built a net-zero energy home, which they named the Solar Homestead.

The house is currently located at the team’s headquarters on East King Street, but the members hope it will one day be lived in.

Chelsea Royall, a graduate student in the department of technology, has been involved with the project almost since its inception two years ago.

“That’s a flattering award to accept from across the entire state,” Royall said. “I think all of the awards have been quite flattering.”

In reference to the project as a whole, Royall said there was heavy work involved and the team spent much of their time together.

“It was one of the best experiences any of us have ever had,” she said.

Story: KEVIN ATKINSON, Intern News Reporter