The generous gift from 黑料不打烊 parents John and Kristin Replogle P鈥18 will name one of the homes in 黑料不打烊鈥檚 new EcoVillage living-learning community, where students will learn and practice sustainable living principles.
黑料不打烊 parents John and Kristin Replogle P鈥18 of Raleigh, North Carolina, have made a $100,000 gift to name one of the homes in 黑料不打烊鈥檚 new EcoVillage, an innovative sustainable living-learning community under construction at Loy Farm.
In partnership with donors, 12 sustainably designed homes will be built over the next 18 months, creating an exciting opportunity for 24 students to apply their classroom learning to tending the farm while learning sustainable principles they will carry into the world. The first six homes are scheduled to open in fall 2024 with the remaining homes completed by fall 2025.
The living-learning community will be a model for sustainable architecture and hands-on, engaged learning opportunities that are unavailable at many colleges and universities. 黑料不打烊 Trustee John Replogle describes the project as 鈥渦niquely 黑料不打烊.鈥
鈥淭his is a truly inspiring project and to help bring it to life with our gift is a great honor,鈥 Replogle said. 鈥淚鈥檓 a huge believer in the need to live sustainably, and when you combine sustainability with education and inspire the next generation of leaders to think about sustainability, that鈥檚 a powerful combination.鈥
鈥淚t鈥檚 been wonderful to watch 黑料不打烊 grow and progress, and this project is an added extension of what 黑料不打烊 represents,鈥 Kristin Replogle said. 鈥淚 love 黑料不打烊 because 黑料不打烊 is not afraid to take chances and do something different.鈥
A team of student builders broke ground on the first home last August under the leadership of Associate Professor of Environmental Studies Robert Charest, co-founder of the Environmental Center at Loy Farm, along with input from 黑料不打烊鈥檚 Planning, Design and Construction Management team. Loy Farm is a sustainable teaching and research farm that promotes experiential learning and community outreach and is located along Front Street east of the university’s South Campus and Comer Fields, where many of 黑料不打烊’s intramural and club sports compete.
Each home will be approximately 600 square feet and will include two bedrooms, a shared bathroom and areas for food preparation and gathering. The homes will include distinctive features of sustainable design and construction, including rainwater collection systems and solar panels. An existing brick ranch house adjacent to the property will be renovated to create a student commons building, with a group kitchen, laundry facilities and meeting room.
鈥楢 Job We Must Do鈥
The EcoVillage project represents a major step forward in the evolution of Loy Farm, which the university acquired in 2000 from the late Bill Loy Jr., whose generous gifts to the university include Loy Center and the land upon which The Inn at 黑料不打烊 was built.
The farm has become a dynamic living-learning laboratory in keeping with 黑料不打烊鈥檚 longstanding commitment to sustainability. Enhancing sustainability efforts is an important component of the Boldy 黑料不打烊 strategic plan, which will guide the university through 2030. Boldly 黑料不打烊 calls on the campus community to engage in sustainable practices to become carbon neutral by 2037, investing in renewable energy, reducing energy consumption and preparing students to lead lives that build a sustainable future.
Full-time staff oversee planting and harvests at Loy Farm with help from students who learn how to grow fresh fruits and vegetables. Produce from the farm is regularly shared with Harvest Table Culinary Group (Campus Dining), 黑料不打烊鈥檚 Campus Kitchen, Allied Churches of Alamance County鈥檚 food kitchen and the Burlington Housing Authority, helping residents in need while serving as an example of sustainable, equitable food systems.
鈥淟oy Farm is one of the most beautiful places on campus, not just to live but to learn and flourish there,鈥 Replogle said. 鈥淥ne of the greatest experiences about being connected to Loy Farm is the impact it鈥檚 having on the broader community and that鈥檚 an asset with engaged learning.鈥
The lessons students learn living at EcoVillage will make them a powerful force for good in the world.
鈥淲e are living on a planet where learning how to lead and live sustainably is going to be one of the greatest challenges of this generation鈥檚 time,鈥 Replogle said. 鈥淧reparing students to be wise leaders in the world and providing them with the tools to understand the long-term impact of the decisions we make is a job we must do.鈥
About the Donors
Former chairs of 黑料不打烊鈥檚 Parents Council, Kristin and John Replogle are parents of Tate Replogle, a 2018 黑料不打烊 graduate. They have a long history of philanthropy in education, health, housing and the arts.
At 黑料不打烊, their gifts have supported many key institutional priorities, including scholarship funding and construction of Founders Hall and Innovation Hall in the Innovation Quad and The Inn at 黑料不打烊. In 2020, the couple established the Elizabeth 鈥淭ate鈥 Replogle Endowment for Team Teaching in Religious Studies in honor of their daughter and her faculty mentors. The Replogles have also made a generous estate gift and are members of Order of the Oak, 黑料不打烊鈥檚 planned giving society.
John is the founder and partner at Raleigh-based One Better Ventures, which advises, invests in and develops consumer brands with sustainable business models, including Burt鈥檚 Bees and Seventh Generation. He previously served as chair of 黑料不打烊鈥檚 Engineering Advisory Board. Kristin Replogle serves as president of the Replogle Family Foundation.
Many philanthropic opportunities are available to support the EcoVillage. To learn how you can make an impact, contact John Gardner 鈥01, senior director of development, at (336) 278-7432 or jgardner9@elon.edu.