A student at the La Crosse Design Institute was recently awarded a $3,149 “Wish List” grant to support her 8th-grade project on Earthships.

Faith Yang receives her grant in a surprise visit from Denise Vujnovich, grants coordinator for the La Crosse Public Education Foundation.

Faith Yang has been studying Earthships as part of her work at LDI, which is a project-based learning school where students take responsibility for much of their own learning.

Earthships are passive solar houses that use renewable energy. Faith is planning to create an 8-foot-by-4-foot-by-3-foot real-life replica that would be fully functional. Her grant will cover the cost of materials, and allow Faith to travel to Taos, New Mexico — where she will stay in an Earthship for about a week. She will take photos with a 360-degree camera so she can create a simulation with LDI’s virtual reality set (purchased last year with an LPEF grant).

Faith will be accompanied by her father, who will pay his own travel expenses.

RELATED MEDIA COVERAGE

Assignment Education – La Crosse student to build sustainable home • WKBT •  March 19, 2019 (supported by LPEF grant)

Faith Yang with her parents, Amber Miller-Yang and Va you Yang. Faith will travel with her father to Taos, New Mexico, to visit an Earthship as part of her project at the La Crosse Design Institute.

Faith Yang with teacher Garrett Zimmerman from the La Crosse Design Institute, which is based in Longfellow Middle School. Garrett has helped guide Faith on her project to build her own model Earthship.