The Eco-House is the project of Chris Wells, assistant professor of environmental studies, and began in fall 2007 with the move-in of four student residents.
In the summer of 2007, prior to its opening, the Eco-House underwent significant "green" renovations in order to make the 1950s-era house livable and to decrease its environmental footprint.
[1] The house is also intended as a laboratory for testing the cost effectiveness and energy use of a variety of technologies and home renovations.
The garden is managed by the student organization MULCH and features environmentally friendly native plants chosen to attract beneficial insects, promote soil fertility and provide food.
[4] The Eco-House has also been the subject of much attention in local media, with large media outlets such as the Star Tribune newspaper[5] and Minnesota Public Radio News[6] both doing stories on the project, as well as The Villager[7] and a variety of Macalester College publications.