Case Study: Omega Center for Sustainable Living, Rhinebeck, New York

More than five years ago, when the Omega Institute for Holistic Studies first began to contemplate a new sewage treatment facility for its wooded, 195-acre campus in Rhinebeck, New York, the non-profit organization’s management, at least at first, viewed the undertaking solely as an infrastructure replacement project. But it soon grew into a larger endeavor with goals in line with those of the institute itself, which offers educational programming intended to support wellness, personal growth, and social change. “We decided the new system should satisfy three basic criteria, explains Robert “Skip” Backus, Omega’s CEO. “It needed to consume little energy, use no chemicals, and be accessible and educational.”

In place of the campus’s aging septic tank and leaching field system, Omega opted for a multi-step filtration process known as an “Eco-Machine,” which mimics nature and relies on beneficial bacteria, plants, and other organisms to break down and consume pollutants in water. And to enclose this unusual system, Omega hoped for a structure that would be similarly forward looking. “Since we were taking a leadership position for water treatment, we wanted a building that would match it,” explains Backus.