EFS Profiles
Center for Economic and Environmental Development
Allegheny College
Meadville, Pennsylvania
Purpose: Community Involvement
Please note that the copyright for this profile is retained by the institution.
Allegheney College is a private, liberal arts college with 1,900 undergraduates. It is located in the town of Meadville (population: 14,000), in Northwestern Pennsylvania. In 1997, Allegheny College launched an initiative to create a new program aimed at developing sustainable economic and environmental practices in the Meadville community. The Center for Economic and Environmental Development (CEED) brings together community stakeholders and Allegheny students in a partnership working to benefit both the campus and the community. CEED encourages students to become involved with their community and apply their classroom knowledge to the real world. The organization is a tremendous resource for the Meadville community as well as the students of Allegheny. CEED is currently addressing several projects:
Meadville Community Energy Project:
The Meadville Community Energy Project is a non-profit, community organization established in 1997. MCEP is comprised of students, business people, government officials, property owners, renters, and others working to eliminate the waste of energy in Meadville. By keeping money in the community, MCEP stimulates the local economy, improves social equity, and benefits the environment.
- Home Energy Ratings System (HERS): Because half of Meadville's housing stock is rental property, MCEP decided to focus its initial efforts on this sector. A HER consists of an on-site inspection of the property, followed by analysis of the data. Each home is then given a rating as well as a list of cost-effective recommendations to improve energy efficiency. MCEP conducts tenant education sessions to discuss simple changes that can also improve energy efficiency. The HERS program is now expanded to provide energy audits for homeowners in addition to rental properties.
- Allegheny Students: MCEP works closely with students to carry
out many components of their projects. Some examples of this collaboration
include:
- The Landlord Challenge: This program encourages landlords to make their properties more energy efficient by having students sign a pledge to their landlord which states that they are willing to pay slightly increased rent, in order to cover the cost of making their properties more efficient. The resulting decrease in utility bills makes up for the elevated rent.
- A new seminar course will be offered at Allegheny in the fall of 2001, entitled "Studies in Community Activism." This course will use the MCEP program as a classroom laboratory to study the theory and practice of organizing and implementing community programs.
- MCEP offers internships for students to reach out to community leaders, assist in energy audits, and educate tenants on ways to reduce their energy consumption.
- Energy Mortgages for Home Buyers: MCEP is working with local banks and the Meadville Redevelopment Authority to encourage the promotion of energy improvement mortgages.
- Realtor Collaboration: MCEP is collaborating with realtors to inform the community of the practicality of investing in energy efficient improvements.
- Partnerships for Energy Performance: Linking Businesses, Institutions and Industries: This initiative is aimed at creating collaborations between organizations that will lead to energy efficiency improvements while simultaneously reducing costs. A partnership currently exists between Allegheny College and the Meadville Medical Center to improve energy efficiency at both institutions. MCEP is working to expand this partnership within Meadville to include other businesses, organizations, and industries.
Art and Environment Projects:
- Signs and Flowers Project:
Allegheny College art professor Amara Geffen and her Spring 2001 Art & Environment class were asked by PennDOT and CEED to create a sustainable public project for the large grass bank overlooking PennDOT's newly renovated parking lot. The central goal of this project is to turn the large 300+ ft. steeply sloped bank into an interesting environmental art installation for the Meadville community. The class' ideas resulted in a project incorporating recycled materials, right down to the soil, and will feature flowers constructed out of discarded road signs. Every decision has remained cost effective and environmentally sustainable. After the flowers were installed on the site, a Fall 2001 Art and Environment class taught by Art Professor Amara Geffen expanded the project by creating foilage to complement the flowers from green road signs. This additional element was added during late fall 2001. Photos of this project's progress can be traced on http://ceed.allegheny.edu. - "The Green Room":
This unique break room created by Allegheny College student artists is located in the Crawford County Industrial Park (CCIP), and is used by the employees of the 20 businesses occupying the former Superfund site- now an effectively reclaimed brownfield. The primary goals of the Green Room Project are to educate about the site's industrial and natural histories, create an aesthetically pleasing break room for CCIP employees, and promote environmental sustainability and responsibility. Phase one of the project included the painting of a mural, the designing of a historical photo essay about the site, and the construction of tables and chairs form the reclaimed factory materials. - "Greening the Gateways":
"Greening the Gateway" is a community greening project dedicated to planting native grasses, trees, shrubs, and wildflowers along commercialized roadsides. Its goals are to beautify and enhance the area, educate the public about native plants, and help restore a sense of pride in the Meadville area. Each fall enthusiastic "Make a Difference Day" volunteers work in conjunction with PennDOT workers to cut burlap and wrap the shrubbery for the winter season to protect it from road salt. These community volunteers help to ensure that this project will continue to beautify Meadville.
The goal of this partnership between the college and the community is to help local businesses and organizations recognize the profit opportunities in sustainable business practices. With the realization that economic growth and environmental preservation go hand in hand, local businesses and organizations are able to improve efficiency and reduce the production of costly waste. There is also emphasis on designing environmentally friendly products and reinventing current practices to help businesses utilize a more sustainable method of production. In addition to partnering with the college, SEM works with the Northwest Pennsylvania Pollution Prevention Roundtable, which is an organization focused on helping area facilities make sustainable choices.
- One SEM project examined the alternative of using polystyrene in the cafeterias of local school districts.
- CEED intern Amanda Aretz ('99) researched and recommended strategic
environmental management practices to Bilok Ihara, a Meadville manufacturing
facility. Based on the changes implemented in accord to Amanda's recommendations,
Bilok Ihara was awarded The Governor's Award for Environmental Excellence
in December 2000. According to Dick Reitz, Process and Safety Manager,
"Ms. Aretz's knowledge provided the missing link to start in the
right direction. BiLok urges other companies to utilize this well of
untapped knowledge at the state's universities and colleges. Both parties
are in a win-win situation."
To find out more about BiLok Ihara's Governor's Award go to the following website: http://www.greenworks.tv/govawards2000/home.htm. Next, click on "This Year's Award Winners" and pull down and select BiLok Ihara. - Another CEED summer 2001 intern, Jackie Nameth ('02), worked with Piney Creek power plant in Clarion County to help them turn an aquaculture facility into a thriving business. This fish farm utilized waste heat from the power plant to heat water for growing market sized Yellow Perch. It will then sell the fish excrement as a fertilizing soil amendment and grow water chestnuts in the wastewater from the fish tanks. Jackie helped them reach their goal of developing an aquaculture facility that produces no waste.
Northwest Pennsylvania Sustainable Forestry Initiative:
CEED is increasing understanding of forest growth and the effects of cutting practices in the Pennsylvania region. Started as a Junior Seminar in Environmental Science, this initiative now has ambitious plans to change the way Pennsylvanians think about forestry.
- Project Goals:
- Understanding of forest growth, ecological condition, and cutting practices in the region
- Make more information on sustainable forestry easily available to landowners, loggers, forest consultants, and private woodlot owners
- Include a process for wood certification specific to the Pennsylvania forests
- Increase a purchasing and process of local secondary lumber products
- Incentives for businesses to produce high-value, certified wood products
- Allegheny College spearheaded the development of a private woodlot owners association, The Northwest Pennsylvania Woodland Association (NWPWA). This association strives to sustain the region's forests and management practices and to maintain recreational, economic, and forest conservation values through the awareness and implementation of best forestry management practices.
- Current Projects:
- On October 21, 2000, CEED hosted a regional workshop on the subject of third-party certification of private forestlands. It drew over one hundred forest landowners, consulting foresters and other interested in forest certification from Pennsylvania, western New York and eastern Ohio.
- Dr. Richard Bowden's Spring 2001 Environmental Science class researched the possibility of forest certification for the 500 acres of woodlands that Allegheny owns. The decision for this project is presently pending.
- Environmental Studies senior, Greg Drab, surveyed fifty forest landowners in the northwest Pennsylvania region to determine the interest in the formation of a regional forest cooperative. This profit-oriented cooperative would allow landowners to pool their financial and forest resources to improve management and add more value to forest products coming off their land. He concluded that the regional forest landowners were not familiar enough with the potential costs and benefits of a cooperative.
- Following up on the above survey a Spring 2001 Environmental Science Junior Seminar compiled a series of fact sheets and pamphlets to provide more information to forest landowners. These pamphlets will be available at future meetings of the NPWA and through cooperative extension and service forester offices.
- Professor Rich Bowden's Fall 2001 ES 210 class presented a workshop on "The Hemlock Woolly Adelgid: A Threat to Northwestern Pennsylvania?" in December, 2001. Many area partners were invited to this CEED sponsored event, and the research will be presented to other local groups such as the Master Gardener's Club and the Northwestern PA Woodlot Association.
Ecotourism:
CEED is working with the Crawford County Convention and Visitor's Bureau and the French Creek Project to enhance ecotourism throughout northwestern Pennsylvania. Ecotourism is responsible travel to natural locations that foster connections between the nature, culture, and history of an area while supporting local people and their economy. The Ecotourism project encourages the adoption of ecologically sustainable development principles for the Crawford County tourism industry and works with the community, industry and government agencies to facilitate sustainable development.
- Fall 2000 CEED Intern Curt Stumpf created an Ecotourism web site to highlight activities in the area: http://ceed.allegheny.edu/CEED/CEEDHome.htm A grand opening website kickoff was held in October and brochures were mailed to all area teachers in the Crawford County area to publicize the site.
- As ecotourism expands in Meadville CEED is working with several businesses and organizations such as the French Creek Project and environmental artist Leslie Blake to offer new ecotours in the area.
- Dr. Richard Bowden and Professor Michael Keeley are currently working on a video featuring ecotourism opportunities in the Meadville area.
Visioning and Community Revitalization:
This component of CEED focuses on creating a partnership between Allegheny College and the Meadville community to encourage the inclusion of sustainable practices when planning future community development.
- CEED sponsored a series of "Quality of Life" Workshops at which various members of the campus and community gathered to discuss ideas and methods for maintaining the small-town atmosphere while allowing the community to thrive and achieve a high quality of life. The workshops allowed several different groups of people to provide their viewpoint and insight.
- In 1998 the Vision Process was initiated. This created an atmosphere where community members of all ages, races, and class, were invited to forums to offer their view on future concerns, needs, and challenges facing their community.
- In 1999 Professor Giovanna Di Chiro's Environmental Science Junior Seminar, in conjunction with the League of Women Voters and CEED, held a community forum to encourage people in the community to voice their opinions on local politics and development issues. It also allowed them to discuss their visions of the future of Meadville.
- The Meadville Founder's Day celebration 2001 featured a groundbreaking for the Kepler Hotel and Townhouse project. This project is a sustainable, livable, green, historic, and "smart" urban housing management supported by CEED and many other organizations.
Environmentally focused Curriculum:
- In 1997, CEED developed the "Industrial Park Ecology Curriculum" for students at the First District Elementary School in Crawford County. This curriculum provides a unique look at environmental sustainability by focusing on industry. Students learn how factories and industrial facilities funcition and the ways in which their products can impact the environment. An important component of the curriculum focuses on developing ways for industry to reuse or trade waste products, and make their facilities more environmentally friendly. Students also take on-site field trips to the Crawford County Industrial Park, to put some of their in-class teachings into a broader context. Much of this curriculum was designed by Allegheny students.
- CEED also helped develop a new Internet game, S.O.S: Students of Sustainability, which can be utilized in class as an alternative to lecture-based teaching. In this game, students read through material on several different sustainability issues and then respond to a series of related questions.
- Distribution of a workbook/coloring book to fourth graders within the French Creek watershed was another effort to further educate area students. This activity book was created and developed by an Allegheny student.
Creek Connections
Creek Connections is a watershed education project based on a partnership between Allegheny College and regional K-12 schools. The project's goal is to turn the French Creek Watershed and contributing watersheds in Northwest Pennsylvania and Western New York, and waterways in the Pittsburgh area into outdoor hands-on learning opportunities. Creek Connections emphasizes an investigation of local waterways, involving hands-on, inquiry based, and natural science education.
In 1995, the project was founded by Allegheny College professors Dr. Jim Palmer and Dr. Mark Lord, as a way to build successful collaboration between Allegheny College and local public schools. Beginning to work with five schools in 1995, by the 1998-1999 school year, 22 schools and 28 teachers were involved, six of whom were from Pittsburgh area schools. Now the project has grown to include 42 different schools and 56 teachers (2001-2002 school year) and Project Director Jim Palmer is assisted by Project Coordinator Chris Resek, Pittsburgh Branch Field Educator Laura Branby, and part time Module Coordinator Jamie Saulsbury.
Project Goals:
- regional schools and college collaboration
- hands on investigative project
- ongoing water quality analysis
- increase awareness of natural resource
For additional information:
CEED Homepage
© 2005 Second Nature, Inc.
