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Thursday, March 28, 2024
NEWS  |  CAMPUS

UF sustainability club to tour Gainesville's green locations

For many, the sun is seen as an inconvenience during a trudge to class or a reason to tan instead, especially during Florida's seemingly endless summer.

This Saturday the UF Chapter of the American Solar Energy Society is hosting the Central Florida Alliance's Gainesville Solar Tour. Gainesville is the third and final leg of a three-day tour that aims to promote solar and sustainable energy.

The tour, which starts at 9 a.m. on the Plaza of the Americas, will have guest speakers, a sustainability expo and a physical tour of Gainesville.

Jennifer Crews, a member of the UF chapter of the American Solar Energy Society, said various speakers will talk about how solar energy works and how to finance it.

The physical tour will visit local homes and businesses that use solar energy and other "green" practices, Crews said.

The event will also feature the Pure Energy Solar Power Tower, a generator powered only by solar energy, Crews said.

"This is going to be an educational and engaging way for the people of Gainesville to learn about solar energy," Crews said. "We hope this is something Gainesville can benefit from."

Richard Schackow, a real estate agent and developer in Gainesville, is letting the tour use a recently completed home in his development, Forest Creek.

The house, along with the rest being constructed, does not use solar power, but it was built to be as energy efficient as possible.

All of the homes Schackow builds will be tested for energy efficiency by the U.S. Department of Energy. Schackow's first house passed with flying colors.

"With our depressed economy, this is something that is one of a kind. [It] will conserve energy and save money," Schackow said.The tour is free of charge and open to the public.

For more information, go to www.ufases.org.

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