Being Green Brings Award to Arizona Education Center

Willow Bend Education Center in Flagstaff wins NRCD award

Contact: Renee Bodine (602) 280-8778
or George Couch (602) 280-8806   

PHOENIX, Jan. 8, 2007 - Teaching Flagstaff students in a building with straw bale walls and solar features, Director Chris Newell and the staff at Willow Bend Environmental Education Center live the talk of being environmentally friendly. Their work, along with that of their parent organization, Coconino Natural Conservation District, earned them a top award from the National Association of Conservation Districts.

The Willow Bend Education Center sits next to the county jail. While that may seem like a nuisance, it’s actually a blessing.

For 30 years, the Willow Bend Education Center worked from trailers and any classroom that could be found. “We packed up everything at the end of each year,” said Newell.

The new county jail and Sawmill County Park were built on “recycled” land—land where a Flagstaff sawmill operated from 1908-1993. Willow Bend saw an opportunity for a permanent space. A 20-year lease from the county was signed. The total bill: one-dollar.

“We have a great relationship with the county,” said Newell. “We couldn’t do this without them.” The County Parks and Recreation Department maintains the native gardens and Certified Backyard habitat at the Education Center.

The Coconino NRCD and Willow Bend Environmental Education Center won the award for their wildlife and environmental work. The National Association for Conservation Districts will present them with the award at their annual meeting Feb. 3-8 in Los Angeles.

The center’s unique building provides the perfect setting to teach living in an environmentally friendly structure building. No heat is needed. Passive solar features, which include trombe walls and south-facing windows, allow the sun to warm up the colored, scored and grouted concrete floors. The straw bale walls provide nearly three times the insulation as conventional walls.

Teachers and students can take part in a two-hour field trip to the center, which includes their Discovery Room exhibits, native gardens, and Sinclair Wash.

For more information about the Willow Bend Education Center, visit the Web at www.willowbendcenter.org. 

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