Dickinson College
ER-T2-4: Themed Housing

The Treehouse is a place where sustainability-minded students can live and work together to support and promote sustainability efforts among themselves and throughout the College campus. Living at the Treehouse, students explore the interconnectedness and codependence that comes with communal living. For example, each semester, residents choose roles that help the community to run smoothly and also to connect the house with the campus and Carlisle. These roles range from treasurer and secretary to community outreach and ecosystems manager. While there are individual roles played in the Treehouse, a central part of the community is the way in which decisions are made. Weekly meetings provide a time to update each other on projects, but everything is decided through consensus. Although community is a large aspect of living at the Treehouse, sustainable living is also a core value. Residents go to great lengths to reduce their impact on the Earth, whether it is the 3 minute showers, composting, turning off or avoiding electronics, and buying local foods as much as possible.