From October 12-20, Audubon PA and Penn State have teamed up to help create one of two Pennsylvania entries for the Solar Decathlon on the National Mall in Washington D.C. to help create a "solar village" where solar energy, energy efficiency, and the best of in-home design are on public display.

Twenty universities from around the globe are competing to win the third biennial Solar Decathlon, a week long design competition organized by the Department of Energy, with the prize going to the student team who can design, build, and operate the most attractive, effective, and energy-efficient solar-powered house.

Penn State's entry - MorningStar - incorporates a native plant garden designed by Audubon Pennsylvania to provide habitat for birds, butterflies, and other beneficial animals.

Spread throughout the site, the native plant garden is intended to attract and provide food and habitat for many Northeastern wildlife and insects, a critical component of healthy ecosystems. Plants were selected for their autumnal seasonal appeal and include native dogwoods, sunflowers, asters, and viburnum.

While the garden will not be judged in the competition, native plant species are key to a sustainable landscape because they: reduce energy expenditure (maintenance), reduce usage of municipal water, protect (or eliminate) runoff, reduce waste (e.g. grass clippings) and support birds, insects and wildlife.

In addition to the garden, MorningStar will feature John James Audubon prints, like the Ruffed Grouse (Pennsylvania's state bird). The prints will serve to connect the outdoors to the indoors, and to pay tribute to Audubon who first began drawing birds at eighteen years old while living in Mill Grove, near Philadelphia.

Following the competition, MorningStar will become a permanent exhibit at Penn State's Center for Sustainability in State College, PA. Audubon Pennsylvania will continue to collaborate with the University to create a permanent, expanded backyard habitat in close vicinity to the house.

For more information on what plant species will provide a healthy habitat in your backyard, visit Audubon At Home.

The American Institute of Architects, BP, Sprint, the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers, and the National Association of Home Builders are title sponsors of the Solar Decathlon.

NewsClip: Audubon PA & Penn State Team Up on Solar Home

PSU Solar Home Debuts in D.C.

Online Video: Penn State’s New Solar Energy Project Subject of Video

Link: Two Pennsylvania Teams to Compete in 2007 Solar Decathlon

10/19/2007