Sustainability is paramount to the 2005 Maryland Solar Decathlon Team, and in keeping with this ideal, the house cannot simply be dismantled or sold at the end of the Solar Decathlon competition. This project is an incredible investment of time, energy, resources and love, so the Maryland team wants to ensure that all of the support it receives is given back to the community. The Maryland house should serve a greater purpose and promote sustainability among a larger audience.
The Maryland team was introduced to a great organization whose mission and values overlaps with its own and is working to make a stronger and sustainable community. Red Wiggler Community Farm, founded in 1996, located in Clarksburg, Maryland, has a unique mission to provide meaningful, fully included jobs for adults with developmental disabilities through the business of growing and selling high-quality produce.
Red Wiggler is expanding, so it is in need of new facilities that echo its mission of sustainability. The 2005 Maryland Team is working with the staff of Red Wiggler to relocate the home to the farm at the conclusion of the competition. There, the home will serve as housing for staff and a living exhibit of how solar energy can be used in our everyday lives.
"It is exciting to be partnering with an organization that benefits the greater community," said Assistant Project Manager Najahyia Chinchilla after visiting the farm. "Red Wiggler is great because it addresses so many issues affecting our community and really looks at what can be done locally by a few people that care."
Email Webmaster
Department of Energy Solar Decathlon Website