This week many people have noticed that the Furman Lake is not looking too great. The water level has been lowered by two feet, which has exposed the muddy, somewhat smelly lake bed in many areas. Dr. Dripps addressed this and has said that due to the flooding last year in Charleston and Columbia, the DHEC has updated their dam safety regulations. In order to comply with the new regulations, Furman needs to remove the trees that line the earthen dam along the road to the maintenance buildings. While this is going on though, a new wooden boardwalk is being built to replace the temporary gravel walkway on the other side of the lake. This new area will be converted into a natural marshland, adding some new visual appeal to the area along with the new ecosystem services that natural wetlands provide. I believe that the improvements being made to the lake will make walking and/or running around the lake, a much more desirable option. With regard to the lake, fishing is still outlawed, much to everyone’s dismay. Hopefully in the future this ban will be lifted and fishing can resume, for now though, the swans are taking precedent.
As for life in the cabins, I’m enjoying it immensely and hope to continue to learn about the sustainable practices that Furman is currently doing and be able to pass that knowledge on to my fellow classmates. This past class we learned about all of the sustainable practices that Furman is currently implementing. These include the use of a Solar Aquatic Waste Water Treatment System that uses plants to treat the wastewater from multiple buildings around campus including the Plyler Science Building, and a new $1.7 million solar farm across from the main entrance on Poinsett Highway. The solar farm’s completion date is set for early 2017. These are just a few of the many sustainable practices that Furman is using in their plan to be completely carbon neutral by 2026.
– Miles Hauser