Former Prime Minister of Japan Receives Tour of Sustainable Living Center
May 21st, 2015 saw MIU’s 2015 graduation commencement speaker Dr. Yukio Hatoyama (Japan’s former Prime Minister) and his wife Mrs. Miyuki Hatoyama (Japan’s former First Lady) visit the Sustainable Living Center along with their guests for a tour given by our faculty and staff.
They first received a general overview of the building’s design and construction while standing outside in the sunny weather, and noted that the SLC has solar panel, rain catchment and passive solar systems. After that they were welcomed into the building where they were shown the hallways (which showcases whole tree construction and natural lighting, as well as Maharishi Sthapatya Veda construction techniques). The floors are heated by a radiant in-floor heating system that is powered by our roof-mounted solar tube collectors.
Next they were shown two of the classrooms in the building. It was explained that the walls were built using compressed earthen blocks made from clay-based soil on MIU’s campus. The plaster was made from a similar material. It was also indicated that the desks were hand-made from different types of trees, making each desk a one-of-a-kind piece of natural art.
After viewing the classrooms they continued on to the south side of the building, where the Sustainable Living Center’s greenhouse is located. The greenhouse is populated by a great many plants such as a bamboo palm, begonias, kong roses, salom philodendrans, split-leaf philodendrans and more. Dr. and Mrs. Hatoyama enjoyed walking through our little indoor oasis which provides cleaner air and good vibes for all of our students.
After their tour the faculty and staff hosted the former Japanese Prime Minister and First Lady for tea and snacks. All in all it was a wonderful meeting, and we are all very honored to have hosted such amazing people at our university.
