New England Tech opens new green campus

EAST GREENWICH, R.I. (FOX Providence) - For New England Institute of Technology's East Greenwich campus , going to school means going green.

The school has recently opened their doors to a new wave of students. The students will be attending classes in a newly renovated and green building. Purchased back in 2008 the building was in need of some serious changes.

Roughly 500,000 pounds of construction debris were pulled out of the building during the demolition phase, which according to Doug Sherman, was recycled.

Not only were materials like the rugs recycled, but the lighting fixtures and vents from the old building remain in the current one.

All of the materials from the floor coverings to the paints, any adhesive used for the tile throughout the building, are all low VOC adhesives.

The building sits on 25 acres of land, but in order to accommodate their plans for future campus life, an additional 220 acres were purchased.

For students attending the new campus, the building is used as a learning tool. Complete with all of the bells and whistles that make it eco-friendly.

In addition, each room is equipped with a motion detector that will automatically shut off the lights if the room is not in use. As a new student, your first walk into the building greets you much differently than in the past. If students are hungry they can stop at a newly renovated cafeteria.

The library was also completely redone. But the green doesn't stop there. About 60 light poles that line the student parking lot were switched to LED lighting.

Another great feature that the existing building came with was a ground water capture system.

Doug Sherman says that New England Institute of Technology is incorporating their new advancements in green technology into the classroom. From solar panels, to wind power, geo-thermal technology and more.