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October targeted for opening of CLC's Living Lab Trail

Grayslake-area residents and College of Lake County students will have to wait a bit longer to enjoy the college's planned Living Lab Trail.

The guided path will connect and highlight the many environmental and sustainable elements on the Grayslake campus, such as the farm, geothermal wells and many green features of the new Science Building.

David Husemoller, CLC's sustainability manager, said Wednesday the final design of the project should go before the CLC board later this month.

He said after the plan is approved, the college staff can put it out to bid.

“So now October is our goal,” Husemoller said.

Husemoller gave a presentation about the trail Wednesday afternoon at a meeting of the Community Partners for Sustainability, a group made up of local leaders interested in sharing information and ideas about green practices and projects.

Because the trail mostly will use existing sidewalks and gravel paths, much of the remaining work will be to design about 30 information signs and install them around campus.

Husemoller brought some sign mock-ups to the meeting, including a draft for the sign for the campus farm. In addition to describing how the farm functions, the sign has information about similar small farms in the local community and around the world.

“You're not just looking at one little thing here on campus,” Husemoller said. “We want to give it a global perspective.”

The trail also will wind past stops such as Willow Lake, the arboretum on the east side of campus and the prairie land to the north. It will also include stops inside CLC.

One particularly informative Living Lab Trail sign will be posted near the bathrooms in the new Science Building. The sign will explain why the water in the building's toilets isn't as crystal clear as users might be accustomed to. As a way to save water, the building's toilets use collected rainwater.

Husemoller said the water is processed by being filtered and blasted with ultraviolet light and is not safe to drink, in case anyone was curious.

“We spend so much money and resources purifying that water just so we can flush it,” Husemoller said. “It's a no-brainer way to save money.”

The CLC board's next meeting is Aug. 28.

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