Hi, I'm Ángel Cabrera, President of Georgia Tech, and I am so pleased to welcome you to this virtual tour of Georgia Tech's eco comics, first imagined as part of our 2006 landscape master plan. The ICO commons are inexpensive, 80 acre network of sites that include protect green, couch far can the eight acre site we will tour over the next few minutes. Designed to enhance the living and working learning environment will help make the institute achieve our sustainability goals. They equal commons to provide universal access for the entire Georgia Tech Community and are living laboratory for students, faculty and researchers, like notably the eight acres section we're about to see waters that can do that building or innovative, sustainable design. Providing a natural counterpart to the visionary approach to creating resilient, highly efficient, and environmentally friendly buildings. The hammock area is short to become a quick favorite for our visitors, our students, me to. This area encourages health and wellness and invites all guests to enjoy nature rest and relaxation. Here, members of the campus community can take a break from study and work in a quiet green oasis and welcome risk flight. Right in the middle of the city. The adjacent meadow, see that in native grasses and perennials will change with the seasons and require very little maintenance. Just mowing once or twice a year. The meadow, like most elements of the ICO commons, is both practical and beautiful. It helps capture rain, allowing it to soak into the ground. Slowly. Georgia Tech's integration of the arts has carried through as part of the ACO comments. This artwork by Patrick Dory features locally sourced materials collected from Sarah and being a community focused on sustainable living in harmony with nature in China who she helps Georgia. The large-scale art installation was created with the assistance of volunteers, including many students. Saplings, mostly willows, were driven into the ground, into twisted to create evocative shapes, suggesting empty houses, abandon cathedrals, and the ephemeral nature of life. The installation is temporary and will biodegrade over two years. As you can see, we are standing at the top of a hill looking down on the learning platform. Three large place lies will eventually be installed. So students and visitors alike write down the hill. This entire eight acres site is a living laboratory place for users to interact with and understand natural ecological processes. The side was designed to reflect the characteristics and typical plant species of George's Piedmont region. With time, this permanent open space and Tech's campus will also provide greater biodiversity of plant and animal species. Increased absorption of storm water, increase sequenced ration of carbon. Data collected by sensors across the entire site. But offered researchers and students continuous opportunities for collecting and studying ecological data including air temperature, humidity, soil moisture, water depth and pressure, wind and rain amounts and outdoor CO2 data. Additionally, the learning platform overlooks a wetland area. The platform is that vantage point for observing how water can be managed using natural systems. We now stand on the side of the former pick Rick restaurant on July 3rd, 960, for three courageous black students from the interdenominational Theological Seminary were forcibly removed. Dr. attempting to integrate the restaurant, refusing to obey the new Civil Rights Act signed by President Lyndon Johnson just the day before. The owner in several patrons say is this students away? Attorney Constance Baker Motley file the first federal lawsuit on behalf of the students. George well as junior, would roti Lewis. In Berkeley dawn, soon after a three-judge panel ruled against pick R6 owner, rather than integrate, he closed the restaurant in February 1965. We have marked off the footprint the picnic restaurant to bear witness and to honor the brave students who stood up against the forces of inequality and oppression. In the Northwest corner of this section, a dark gray concrete wall, intentionally broken into sections, requires visitors to pass through these gaps to enter the former restaurant site. The wall is situated in a grove of top load trees, which are both native to the Southeast and attractive to honey bees. The site features several design elements, all intentionally grouped in threes, including rising columns of set from the wall. Why wooden benches? In long Leaf pines? The three long Leaf pines are the only ones of their kind on the site. These three evergreens will grow tall and straight and are living tribute to all advertently done. Woodrow t. Louis in Georgia. Well as January. As part of our strategic plan, the ICO Commons will help the institute realize our sustainability goals and perform valuable ecological work including storm water management, air quality, and soil improvement, and an expansion of our tree canopy. Perhaps the most important of these ecological functions is the role this performance landscape plays in water management. Georgia Tech's Master Plan and the accompanying landscape Master Plan called for water management practices were reduced by 50 percent. The amount of campus storm water that flows into the cities combined sanitary and storm water sewer systems. This will help the city reduce overall storm water in its system, which helps keep the chat on Uji River. I mean speeder streams clean. This eight acre side was engineered to provide multiple means, systems and sensors for collecting and managing water, pours, concrete, filters, rainwater and compact it. Slate chips in walkways allow rainwater to permeate the soil. An open meadow area offers natural absorption of rainfall. Why enlarge infiltration cells capture water using a system of pipes to move water. Two locations for reuse. Swales are engineered, berms are in place to both slow down and redirect water. Truly, this important ecological work is a great testament to Georgia Tech's ongoing commitment to sustainability in the development and management of our campus. I thank you for joining me as part of this virtual tour of Georgia Tech's eco com. The next time you are on campus, I do hope you will visit an experienced, this beautiful piece of our campus for your site.