When Merry Lea Environmental Learning Center breaks ground for phase one of its collegiate facility Wednesday, May 4 at 3 p.m., participants may find themselves spreading compost rather than watching a shovel spear the earth. The ceremony will take place at the building site, which is adjacent to the Merry Lea Farmstead, located on C.R. 425W in Noble County.

The word groundbreaking suggests that human development must break the ground, said Luke Gascho, Merry Leas executive director, but we hope that our project will help heal and renew the earth.

The groundbreaking ceremony May 4 will celebrate the sustainable objectives of the project. Merry Leas collegiate facility  called Rieth Village after Merry Leas founding donors, Lee and Mary Jane Rieth  was designed using the U.S. Green Building Councils Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system. LEED provides rigorous guidelines in areas such as energy and atmosphere, water efficiency, use of environmentally friendly materials and indoor air quality. The project is registered at the platinum level  the highest level of any registered project in Indiana.

The public is invited to the groundbreaking.