MSU Sustainability Tour: Above and Underground (LOTTERY)

Lottery entry opens January 9 and closes January 16. Regular registration opens January 15.
Dates: June 12, 2025
Meets: Th from 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM
 Location: MSU Bozeman - Heating Plant
Cost:  $0.00

There are still openings remaining at this time.

Date Day Time
06/12/2025Thursday3 PM to 5 PM

OR

Please note: This course program requires membership in a 2024-2025 OLLI at MSU Membership

Description

Discover MSU underground and take a walking tour of the vastly unknown MSU heat plant, tunnels and energy infrastructure. Participants will walk through the tunnels, building systems and ground-source heat pump systems, learning about their history, function and MSU's conservation efforts to save resources and money throughout campus.

After the underground tour, an above-ground campus tour will highlight sustainability features on, around and in the campus, such as solar walls, rooftop solar electric, heat pump water heaters, native gardens, landscaping and stormwater retention.

These tours will highlight the history of energy on campus from the early 1900s to the present state-of-the-art systems MSU is applying.

Space is limited to 35 people per tour.

Participants will need to be fit and nimble, have good balance, stand and walk for extended periods of time indoors and outside around campus, navigate stairs, step over low obstacles, and walk 1-2 miles. Mobility aids are not able to be used due to the terrain.

Course Takeaways

A clear understanding of energy and resource conservation and a first-hand look at the MSU tunnels beneath the MSU campus.

Fee:  $0.00

MSU Bozeman - Heating Plant

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Duke Elliott

Duke Elliott is a resource conservation specialist at Montana State University and an instructor in the College of Arts and Architecture. He has over 35 years of experience in building science, energy efficiency, solar and renewable energy, and leadership. He served as a consultant to utility companies and state governments. He also owned a solar electric business and established state-of-the-art weatherization and home energy training centers across the United States. This work included developing hands-on educational tools used in 13 states and coordinating the development of over 5000 pages of building science curriculum. He created a new standard of home construction and a market-based approach to effect lasting change in the building industry.