Middle School Math Teacher Dustin Delfin, an architect, shared his love of sustainable design with fifth and sixth-grade students during Winter Term. The course challenges students to consider what good might come from using more recycled materials to construct buildings, how our buildings can help conserve water, and, perhaps most creatively, whether the popular app Minecraft (education version) can help them explore sustainability.
“We used the Sustainable Minecraft City from Minecraft Education to explore various lessons on sustainability,” Delfin explained. “Students conducted research on sustainable systems by exploring various lessons, which included Food Production, Water Treatment, Green Building, Sustainable Forestry, and The Energy Efficient House.” They also explored the Sustainable City to learn more about recycling, water filtration, solar panels, natural ventilation, and the use of natural light, to name a few.
“One surprising thing about the class was all of the things we were able to learn while also having fun!” said Caleb Meyers ’31. “On the first day of Sustainable House Design, we explored a Minecraft sustainable city. There were different stations where we could interact with the citizens. The people would tell us about different strategies for how to make a sustainable community. I enjoyed walking through the city and learning how simple adjustments to normal objects could save a lot of material or power.”
Once students completed their research, they drafted a list of 12 strategies they wanted to incorporate into their own house designs. Students then spent a large chunk of their class time building and designing their houses in Minecraft. They later created a final presentation poster showcasing the various systems that make their house sustainable.
Meyers was intrigued by greywater systems. “The greywater system is a network of pipes that run through the house and merge into a filter. This system is super sustainable because it allows the house to reuse the water and not waste any excess water. This was super interesting because it shows that there are so many different ways to help make communities more sustainable.”
Fallon Randall ’31 said, “‘The most interesting thing I learned is that a staircase with an amazing view is actually energy efficient since the view would encourage others to use the stairs and not to use the elevator, which saves electricity.”
This year, Noah Bennett ’31 invited his grandfather, Chuck Schagrin, to visit as a guest speaker. Mr. Schagrin has a Master’s degree in Architecture and works as a residential general contractor. He spoke to the class about sustainable design.
One of the activities he had the students work on involved drawing and shading a 2″ x 6″ cross-section of a piece of wood, explaining how using standard-sized materials saves time and is a cost-effective, sustainable practice. In another activity, Mr. Schagrin had the students use tape measures to find the length, width, and height of a room in order to calculate its volume. He then introduced the concept that it costs money to heat and cool a space, and asked the students what they could do to make the space more sustainable. Many students suggested lowering the ceiling height so the room would still have the same floor space but less volume.
Lastly, Mr. Schagrin explained how geothermal energy is another sustainable design strategy. He demonstrated that by digging a hole at least four feet deep, heat or cold from the earth could be transferred to the building. He mentioned that the initial cost of this design strategy is higher, but it allows clients to save money over time. To illustrate this, each student received an envelope with fake money inside. The class was divided into two groups: Group 1 had a traditional, conventional energy source, while Group 2 had a geothermal energy source.
In the first round, Mr. Schagrin explained that this was the installation phase, and each member of the traditional energy group had to pay $20, while each member of the geothermal group had to pay $50. In round 2, the monthly cost for Group 1 was $20, while Group 2 paid $0. In round 3, the monthly cost for Group 1 was $5, and Group 2 still paid $0. In the final round, the monthly cost for Group 1 was $100, while Group 2 continued to pay $0. This activity demonstrated to the students how geothermal energy could save money over time.
Students were able to apply what they learned during their time with Mr. Schagrin to their own designs.
Meyers said, “In my house design, I am proud of the greywater system that I incorporated into the building. I am happy with this piping system because I like how it shows water being cleaned and pumped through the house. My greywater system also includes a synthetic wetland to help filter out pollutants naturally. Although my greywater system doesn’t have that much room (because it is below the house), I was still able to fit it by using dripstone blocks and mycelium wetland dirt.”
Randall loved her design. She said, “The part I was most proud about in my house was the structure in general, because it looked very modern yet sustainable and energy efficient.”
Meyers concluded, “Overall, this was a great winter term class and I had a great time building the house. I would for sure recommend this to someone else because of how unique the class is.”
Randall agreed. “I would recommend this to future students in Winter Term because this is a great way to teach students how you can have a sustainable energy efficient home and help the world,” she said.
Marisol Kelley ’32 also enjoyed the class, due in no small part to her teachers. “What was surprising about the class is how Mr. Delfin and Mr. Clarke can be so serious and so funny at the same time!” she said. “I would recommend this class to other students because it tests how creative you are with building sustainably in Minecraft!”