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Sparty's new home opens up on campus

April 26, 2016
<p>The crowd at the opening of Sparty's Cabin pose for a photo on April 22, 2016 at Breslin Center.&nbsp;</p>

The crowd at the opening of Sparty's Cabin pose for a photo on April 22, 2016 at Breslin Center. 

Sparty has a new sustainable home on campus.

Breslin Center hosted the official ribbon-cutting ceremony for Sparty’s Cabin on April 22.

Fittingly, this date happened to be on Earth Day, which parallels several of the principles behind the construction for the project.

The cabin is a “tiny home,” including a kitchen, bedroom, bathroom, office and living room that fits on an only 8 x 20 foot trailer. A large part of the ideology behind the project is educating people about tiny homes and possible sustainability options.

Associate Director For the School of Planning, Design and Construction Professor Patricia Crawford spoke of two components that students can learn from Sparty’s Cabin, which are being able to see sustainability materials in use and being able to visualize the tiny home movement.

“The project is about rethinking where you put your money and making the right decisions,” Crawford. “You don’t need a half-million dollar mortgage to be happy. It’s making smart decisions for your personal values.”

The house was created by MSU’s chapter of the United States Green Building Council and MSU’s School of Planning, Design and Construction.

All of the sponsors, donors, volunteers, the multiple people involved in the project and the public were invited to the event. Sparty was also in attendance.

“Everyone is very committed to seeing this project through,” interior design senior and president of USGBC at MSU Tiffany Pupa said. “It is so encouraging to see so many people taking this project so personally and running with it and loving it so much.”

Prominent figures, such as President Simon and members of the Forestry and Community Sustainability departments at MSU spoke during the event.

Pupa is the original organizer and proposer of Sparty’s Cabin. Pupa also spoke at the ceremony.

“Overall, we just want to thank everyone who made this possible,” Pupa said. “We want to celebrate the collaboration that we have all been through, both our accomplishments and our new friends we have made through this.”

Around the house, all of the project sponsors displayed posters where students wrote about the sustainability feature of the home and what the construction of the house meant to them.

There were also many posters that displayed quotes by students, as the house was completely student-constructed and planned.

“What excites the most is the hands-on and experiential learning that these students have gained,” Crawford said. “I’ve watched them all so much in the six weeks that we have been building it. The entire process has been very rewarding for everyone involved.” 

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