ENSAT Center

The Environment, Natural Science and Appropriate Technology (ENSAT) Center is a local and regional focus for energy conservation and environmental education. By demonstrating successful and attainable construction alternatives, ENSAT provides information on ways for all segments of the community to reduce the costs of home and commercial construction projects. ENSAT demonstrates ways in which energy and conservation technology can be incorporated into these projects and how these methods can lower operational costs while decreasing dependence on renewable and non-renewable natural resources.

The ENSAT Center is open to the public, free of charge, from Tuesday to Saturday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

The Interactive Learning Centers highlight the interdependence of nature and humans through five interactive environments in a room filled with things to touch, watch, hear, experience, and explore.

The Coastal Community is located on the south wall of the Exhibit Hall and centers on a 1,500-gallon aquarium, a 350-gallon feeding tank, interpretive models, and a diorama of a south Georgia beach. This exhibit tracks the life cycle of the threatened Loggerhead Sea Turtle and focuses on coastal ecosystems and how sea turtles play an important role in the food chain. Visitors can view live sea turtles and other marine wildlife and learn about their feeding and care.

Another exhibit, the Wetland Community, includes two large freshwater ponds, a beaver dam and a mural of a pond habitat. Children can view turtles, fish, frogs and other life that inhabit a wetland community. Enhancing the experience are the sounds of bullfrogs, belted kingfishers and other wildlife of the area. Visitors learn about energy flow through a wetland community, the water cycle, wetland succession and migration. Visitors can use microscopes to study specimens and crawl into a beaver lodge to look through a 'port hole' at underwater life.

Click here to see a sneak peek of our rotating exhibits!

This 400-square foot facility enables teachers, visitors, contractors, and others to research and expand their hands-on knowledge and experience. A computer link with the library and routine delivery service ensures that visitors have access to the information and resources they are seeking.

The newest boardwalk trail at the Nature Center is designed not only to enable physically challenged visitors to experience the outdoors, but also to allow them to become volunteer teachers and leaders themselves.

Physically challenged volunteers can lead groups on educational tours as part of the center’s ongoing programming. These leaders will share science and natural history knowledge from specially constructed learning centers along the trail, while serving as role models for critical leadership skills.

The classrooms in the ENSAT Center make extensive use of the daylighting principals discussed in the Administration Area. The south wall of the classroom provides the natural daylighting. The light from the sun strikes the light shelf that runs the full length of the south windows. The light is reflected off the top surface deep inside the classroom and re-reflected off the ceiling back down into the classroom.

A motion sensor and a light sensor activate the light fixtures. If movement is detected in the room by the motion sensor, the lights are switched to on and the light sensor then checks the light level from the light monitor above. If the light level is not high enough the lights will come on; if enough light is being produced from the light monitor, the lights will remain off even with motion detected.

The light monitor is designed so that nearly all the lighting required throughout the day is provided by natural daylighting. This will result in energy and cost savings. Sunlight passes through the windows of the light monitor, bounces off the walls, and passes indirectly down into the room. No direct sunlight enters the room from the monitor, thus eliminating glare and heat gain.

The carpet pads used in the classrooms are made of 100% synthetic recycled fibers. Carpet pads are an ideal use for recycled fibers because very little has to be done to the original material in order to manufacture the new padding. The carpet used throughout the ENSAT center is part of a 100% reclamation project. Through this project, old carpets are collected and recycled into new carpets and other projects.