Arizona State University celebrated the grand opening of the Student Pavilion Thursday night, the newest — and greenest — building on the Tempe campus. The pavilion is the first net zero energy building at ASU, meaning it uses no more energy than it creates.
The new building now houses the Undergraduate Student Government (USG), Council of Coalitions, and the Programming and Activities Board, and its sustainable practices have inspired the organizations to incorporate “green” practices in their own events.
“It’s really given us this awesome challenge of figuring out ‘How can we be sustainable at all of our events?’ and really think about the environment as we’re doing them,” said Kavitha Ramohalli, president of the Programming and Activities Board on the Tempe campus.
The grand opening included brief remarks from several speakers including USG President Brittany Benedict, ASU President Michael Crow, Black African Coalition President Navona Carter, and included a building blessing by the American Indian Coalition.
In addition, a ceremonial ribbon cutting took place, along with the announcement of the burial of a time capsule, to be opened in August 2067, 50 years after the building's opening.
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