In the News

Holyoke’s Enchanted Circle Theater, Hitchcock Center for Environment share state award

The Republican

Enchanted Circle Theater of Holyoke and Hitchcock Center for the Environment of Amherst jointly will receive a Commonwealth Award from the Massachusetts Cultural Council Feb. 24 for working to increase students’ understanding of science and the arts.

Published on January 30, 2015.

Announcing The 2015 Commonwealth Awards: Massachusetts’ Highest Honors In Arts, Humanities, & Sciences

Press Release
Massachusetts Cultural Council

Today the Massachusetts Cultural Council (MCC) announced the winners of the 2015 Commonwealth Awards. Honoring exceptional achievement in the arts, humanities, and sciences, the Commonwealth Awards will be presentedTuesday, February 24 at a State House ceremony.

Published on January 21, 2015.

Hitchcock Center embraces the ‘living’ building challenge

Daily Hampshire Gazette and Amherst Bulletin

The Living Building Challenge (LBC) is a transformative new way of designing and building with ecological integrity and intelligence. Born out of the most progressive thinking in architecture, engineering, landscape design, planning and policy, the approach challenges us to ask: What if every single act of design and construction made the world a better place?

Published on January 21, 2015.

State grants $510,000 for ‘zero net energy’ projects in Amherst, Northampton and Easthampton

Daily Hampshire Gazettte

The Hitchcock Center for the Environment’s quest to build a new education center on the Hampshire College campus in Amherst is among three projects in the region that received a total of $510,000 in grants from a new state program to assist development of “zero net energy” buildings and homes. The new Pathways to Zero program under the direction of the state Department of Energy Resources recently announced $2.9 million in grants statewide, including $330,000 to the Hitchcock Center in Amherst; $156,000 to Transformations Inc., of Townsend, for two planned housing developments at Village Hill Northampton; and $24,000 to Pioneer Valley Habitat for Humanity to build two new homes on East Street in Easthampton.

Published on December 31, 2014.

Living Building Challenge Workshop: Hitchcock Center for the Environment

ArchitectureBoston Expo

For over 40 years the Hitchcock Center for the Environment has been a leader and innovator in environmental education. Located in Amherst, MA, Hitchcock serves an array of students, from pre-school to professional, and is affiliated with over 25 environmental and nature organizations. Consistent with the organization’s goals, the schools new interpretive education center will meet the “Living Building Challenge” requirements, incorporating design strategies from the Biomimicry Institute. Still in the design stage, the presentation is part case-study and part design workshop, asking participants to engage in the collaborative process. The presenters will provide unique perspectives on technical, environmental, and educational issues, encouraging dialogue around the future of sustainable architecture.

Published on October 28, 2014.

Hampshire College to break ground on new building next month; hopes to meet Living Building Challenge

MassLive.com

Earlier this year, the Hitchcock Center for the Environment announced plans to create what’s called a Living Building on the campus of Hampshire College. A Living Building is the highest environmental standard there is surpassing the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design and there are fewer than a dozen buildings that are so certified in the United States.

Published on October 27, 2014.

Patrick Administration Awards $2.9 Million in Advanced Energy Efficiency Grants

Press Release
MA Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs

Massachusetts Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA) Maeve Bartlett today awarded $2.95 million in Pathways to Zero Grant Program Grants to assist 25 projects in various stages of development seeking to achieve advanced zero net energy usage, continuing the Patrick Administration’s national leadership in energy efficiency. The Pathways to Zero is a new initiative launched by the Department of Energy Resources (DOER) to support the emerging zero net energy building (ZNEB) market in Massachusetts, primarily through residential and commercial demonstration projects that are on the pathway to achieve or exceed a ZNEB goal.

Published on October 27, 2014.

Living Building Challenge Mini-Conference, September 12-13, Hampshire College, Amherst, MA

Press Release
Hitchcock Center

Only five buildings have achieved Living Building certification. Several hundred more are being planned, including for the first time – with Hampshire College and the Hitchcock Center – two on adjacent portions of one campus.

Published on September 3, 2014.

Editorial: Sounds of progress at educational centers in Hadley, Amherst

Daily Hampshire Gazette

Building projects in Amherst and Hadley that garnered headlines this week will take vibrant educational ventures to the next level. Both the Hitchcock Center for the Environment in Amherst and the Pioneer Valley Chinese Immersion Charter School in Hadley are poised for growth and change that will better serve thousands of families in the Valley.

Published on June 19, 2014.

Hitchcock Center Announces its first Leadership Training Camp with Peter Lamdin, retired 23‐year Amherst School teacher and one of the Center’s first Counselors in the 1970’s