PCEI

Every Thursday afternoon this semester I have been volunteering at the Palouse Clearwater Environmental Institute. It is a nature center in Moscow that focuses on restoration projects and sustainability. Many times it would be covered in snow or soaked in rain, but now that it is getting to be nicer weather here, I can appreciate the beauty of the landscape even more. This is a shot of it when biking in.

I would do various projects around the facility, such as painting, planting, potting, and landscaping. The people running the place were hard-working, nice people, many of whom were in AmeriCorps.

The sustainability of the center was incredible, and being an environmental science major, I greatly enjoyed it. All of the plants they and their volunteers pot go to stream restoration, to be planted on the banks to prevent erosion.

The restroom on site is completely sustainable. Lights are powered by the solar panel, the water in the toilet and sink are rain runoff, and all of the waste goes to composting bins in the basement of the facility. I've never seen a restroom like that before, but I would definitely like to see more like it everywhere.

Once all of the snow melted off of the hills, I got to take some good shots of the whole facility from the highest point.

Volunteering at PCEI has been a rewarding experience for sure.