One way to operate sustainably is to use locally sourced materials as much as possible. That’s one reason why you’ll see lots of a beautiful Wisconsin sandstone all over our campus. Called Krukowski Stone, this quartz-rich, cream-colored stone comes from a family quarry in the northern part of the state.
Krukowski Stone is a newcomer (geologically speaking) in that it’s only about 500,000 years old. Back then, in the Cambrian period, parts of Wisconsin were covered by seas and beaches. Which explains one of Krukowski stone’s outstanding features: It’s loaded with rare fossils of ancient sea animals and the imprint of rippling ocean floors.
We’re using Krukowski stone for the patio, all our countertops, and to decorate the bases of some of our buildings. And, when we want to get really local, we use some of the boulders that got turned up during construction. Those came to us courtesy of a glacier during the last ice age!