Hartnell College to Bring Green Construction Practices to Marks Ranch

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An exciting partnership between the Land Trust and Hartnell College is bringing students training in green construction practices to Marks Ranch, where old buildings will be restored according to the best principles of sustainable construction and design. With its focus on developing skilled and environmentally savvy builders, Hartnell’s Center for Sustainable Design and
Construction (CSDC) is an ideal partner to work with BSLT in repairing and stabilizing the historic structures at Marks Ranch.

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“This collaboration comes at a fortuitous time,” says John Anderson, Instructor in Hartnell’s Advanced Technology Department and Faculty Head of CSDC. “We were just at the cusp of changing the course to sustainable technology.” Anderson and his colleagues have rewritten Hartnell’s curriculum to embed new sustainable technologies, methods and management strategies. Alternative energy, insulation efficiency, using sustainable materials, and attention to waste streams and erosion control are now part of the nuts-and-bolts material for students pursuing careers in construction, as well as for workers already in the field who are coming back to school to acquire new skills.

Bryce Hall, BSLT’s Field Assistant for Marks Ranch, notes that this collaboration harkens back to the original expectation of Herman Marks, the Ranch’s former owner, to see his land become a place of education. “This partnership will help us prepare the site for future use as a living classroom,” Hall says, “while providing hands-on experience, training and education for students who can then transition into paying jobs in the community. It benefits the students, the Ranch, and the local economy.”

Anderson and the CSDC are no strangers to collaboration, having partnered with many local and state agencies and organizations, including Rancho Cielo, an organization in Salinas that helps at-risk youth improve their lives. Around half of the 40 students working at Marks Ranch are from Rancho Cielo. Anderson points out that the restoration project at Marks Ranch is the result of a school, a non-profit organization, and government agencies all working together, doing something that couldn’t be done singly by any of them. Given the current context of financial difficulties and political stalemate, he says, “collaborations like this are going to be a good example of how to get things accomplished in the future.”

You can help make the vision for Marks Ranch a reality.