The generous gift from Elon parents John and Kristin Replogle P’18 will name one of the homes in Elon’s new EcoVillage living-learning community, where students will learn and practice sustainable living principles.
Elon parents John and Kristin Replogle P’18 of Raleigh, North Carolina, have made a $100,000 gift to name one of the homes in Elon’s new EcoVillage, an innovative sustainable living-learning community under construction at Loy Farm.
In partnership with donors, 12 sustainably designed homes will be built over the next 18 months, creating an exciting opportunity for 24 students to apply their classroom learning to tending the farm while learning sustainable principles they will carry into the world. The first six homes are scheduled to open in fall 2024 with the remaining homes completed by fall 2025.
The living-learning community will be a model for sustainable architecture and hands-on, engaged learning opportunities that are unavailable at many colleges and universities. Elon Trustee John Replogle describes the project as “uniquely Elon.”
“This is a truly inspiring project and to help bring it to life with our gift is a great honor,” Replogle said. “I’m a huge believer in the need to live sustainably, and when you combine sustainability with education and inspire the next generation of leaders to think about sustainability, that’s a powerful combination.”
“It’s been wonderful to watch Elon grow and progress, and this project is an added extension of what Elon represents,” Kristin Replogle said. “I love Elon because Elon is not afraid to take chances and do something different.”
A team of student builders broke ground on the first home last August under the leadership of Associate Professor of Environmental Studies Robert Charest, co-founder of the Environmental Center at Loy Farm, along with input from Elon’s Planning, Design and Construction Management team. Loy Farm is a sustainable teaching and research farm that promotes experiential learning and community outreach and is located along Front Street east of the university’s South Campus and Comer Fields, where many of Elon’s intramural and club sports compete.
Each home will be approximately 600 square feet and will include two bedrooms, a shared bathroom and areas for food preparation and gathering. The homes will include distinctive features of sustainable design and construction, including rainwater collection systems and solar panels. An existing brick ranch house adjacent to the property will be renovated to create a student commons building, with a group kitchen, laundry facilities and meeting room.
‘A Job We Must Do’
The EcoVillage project represents a major step forward in the evolution of Loy Farm, which the university acquired in 2000 from the late Bill Loy Jr., whose generous gifts to the university include Loy Center and the land upon which The Inn at Elon was built.
The farm has become a dynamic living-learning laboratory in keeping with Elon’s longstanding commitment to sustainability. Enhancing sustainability efforts is an important component of the Boldy Elon strategic plan, which will guide the university through 2030. Boldly Elon calls on the campus community to engage in sustainable practices to become carbon neutral by 2037, investing in renewable energy, reducing energy consumption and preparing students to lead lives that build a sustainable future.
Full-time staff oversee planting and harvests at Loy Farm with help from students who learn how to grow fresh fruits and vegetables. Produce from the farm is regularly shared with Harvest Table Culinary Group (Campus Dining), Elon’s Campus Kitchen, Allied Churches of Alamance County’s food kitchen and the Burlington Housing Authority, helping residents in need while serving as an example of sustainable, equitable food systems.
“Loy Farm is one of the most beautiful places on campus, not just to live but to learn and flourish there,” Replogle said. “One of the greatest experiences about being connected to Loy Farm is the impact it’s having on the broader community and that’s an asset with engaged learning.”
The lessons students learn living at EcoVillage will make them a powerful force for good in the world.
“We are living on a planet where learning how to lead and live sustainably is going to be one of the greatest challenges of this generation’s time,” Replogle said. “Preparing students to be wise leaders in the world and providing them with the tools to understand the long-term impact of the decisions we make is a job we must do.”
About the Donors
Former chairs of Elon’s Parents Council, Kristin and John Replogle are parents of Tate Replogle, a 2018 Elon graduate. They have a long history of philanthropy in education, health, housing and the arts.
At Elon, their gifts have supported many key institutional priorities, including scholarship funding and construction of Founders Hall and Innovation Hall in the Innovation Quad and The Inn at Elon. In 2020, the couple established the Elizabeth “Tate” Replogle Endowment for Team Teaching in Religious Studies in honor of their daughter and her faculty mentors. The Replogles have also made a generous estate gift and are members of Order of the Oak, Elon’s planned giving society.
John is the founder and partner at Raleigh-based One Better Ventures, which advises, invests in and develops consumer brands with sustainable business models, including Burt’s Bees and Seventh Generation. He previously served as chair of Elon’s Engineering Advisory Board. Kristin Replogle serves as president of the Replogle Family Foundation.
Many philanthropic opportunities are available to support the EcoVillage. To learn how you can make an impact, contact John Gardner ’01, senior director of development, at (336) 278-7432 or jgardner9@elon.edu.