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Sustainable Development in Northwest Pennsylvania |
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As we have realized the connection between our actions and the effects on our planet, a greater ideal of sustainability has emerged. Sustainability is apparent in pollution prevention, reduction of industrial inputs, and the reduce-reuse-recycle movement. In addition, the idea of sustainability makes sense from a economic perspective by reducing costs and producing less waste. In short, sustainability makes sense.
Sustainable Development Sustainable Development Links
Sustainability has also become a necessity and an obligation in some regards. As we learned from creation of the Superfund program 1980, industrial and personal actions can cause severe health and environmental problems. Through actions like reuse of old products, reduced consumption, and household practices like composting, turning off lights, and taking shorter showers, you are creating a more sustainable lifestyle. For additional information on household sustainability, Click here.
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Sustainable Development In Northwest PA:
Avtex Industries----- The Green Room
Art and Environment---- Signs and Flowers
Kane Hardwood Certified Lumber
Avtex Industries- The Green Room
Established in 1929 as the American Viscose Corporation, the current Crawford County Industrial Park has gone through many changes over the years. Initially a textile plant producing acetate yarn, the plant was purchased by Avtex Synthetic Fibers Inc. in 1972, but shut down in 1985 due to the lagging textile industry. In 1990, the former Avtex site was declared a state Superfund Site, and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, in partnership with the Meadville Redevelopment Authority, began site reclamation.
For additional information about what constitutes a superfund site, Click here
Once the site was remediated and much of the space renovated, the Crawford County Industrial Park was established and began leasing to businesses. Currently there are 19 businesses and over 1200 employees at this facility. The importance of remediating such a site is sometimes misunderstood. Cleaning up this site is essential in that it requires that businesses take responsibility for their actions, preserves open space, and implements a mentality of reuse instead of waste. Currently, this past Avtex Superfund Site is a productive industrial center, turning an abandoned and contaminated area into a viable business space as well as preserving many jobs in the area.
To learn more about the Avtex remediation and DEP involvement Click here
THE GREEN ROOM
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A
recycled table and chairs with the mural as a background in
the Green Room
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The Green Room was developed and created by a collaboration with Center for Economic and Environmental Development (CEED) at Allegheny College and the Crawford County Industrial Park. Converting an abandoned space in the Industrial Park into a green breakroom that celebrates the past of the site, describes the environmental remediation that has taken place, and the importance of the art/ environment link.
This room has an environmentally based mural on one wall and is furnished with recycled tables and decorations from past industrial uses. The room was created with the utmost consideration of the interaction between industry, art, and the environment. The green room is not only a unique creation celebrating one of the most successful remediated Superfund sites in the east, but also a functional, educational, and aesthetically pleasing breakroom.
For additional pictures of the Green Room, Click here
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Art and the Environment is an attempt to meld the themes of artistic creativity with that of environmental sustainability, understanding, and preservation, while also using art as a means of aesthetic community revitalization. Projects within this discipline often incorporate reused and/or natural materials. Artists promote ideals of environmental stewardship in the themes and attitiudes of their work. For instance, the Green Room Art and the Environment project began with an industrial entranceway and turned it into a living mural of the history of the Avtex site, as well as an environmentally educational and fully functional breakroom for the employees. Similarly, the Signs and Flowers Project included use of "scrap" signs to create a positive environmental landscape adjacent to the PennDOT office in Meadville Pennsylvania.
Signs & Flowers
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Signs
and Flowers: created from remnants of old signs and renovated
into an artistic welcome to Meadville residents and visitors.
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Signs & Flowers, a permanent art work, is located on the intersection of Routes 102 and 322 in Meadville. It is composed of eleven large-scale (11' x 6') abstract flower sculptures, sited on a landscaped embankment surrounding PennDOT's property. The project utilizes recycled road signs and shoulder dirt to express the idea of an industrial garden and marks an important collaboration between CEED and the local community. During the summer of 2001, five art interns (Reba Ozimek, Amanda MacElfresh, Katrina Butkas, Julie Hersh, and Ethan Vandervort) and one CEED intern (Kelly Mack) worked fulltime with CEED Art & Environment Project Director and Art Professor Amara Geffen and various PennDot employees to design and construct Signs & Flowers, a public art project done in collaboration with Meadville's PennDOT office. CEED interns Heidi Blakeslee and Shannon Harbaugh also provided valuable research and documentation support throughout the summer. For more information and a photo chronology of the project, please visit the Center for Economic and Environmental Development (CEED) webpage.
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The French Creek Greenway is a proposed conservation area which will benefit both the preservation of open space while providing recreation. The eventual outcome will be a trail linking the city of Meadville with West Mead and Vernon Townships. Proposed by the French Creek Project, the French Creek Greenway will promote education, alternative transportation, nature tourism, and a much needed trail for area residents.
Like many other recreational trails in the region, the French Creek Greenway will eventually become a landmark in Meadville and a tribute to the French Creek, one of the most biologically diverse streams in the state.
For additional information contact the French Creek Project at 1-888-920-8699 or email frenchcrik@aol.com
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Harmony Homestead at Slippery Rock University
Harmony Homestead was built in the early 1990's and is currently owned and operated by Slippery Rock University. The purpose of the homestead is to practice sustainability and educate students and the community about sustainable practices. The Homestead is the site of current study and research for Slippery Rock University's ALTER Program as well as Master of Science in Sustainable Systems degree.
A fascinating and educational resource, the Harmony Homestead can be visited and toured, or you can take a virtual tour of the premises and an learn more about the programs that take place there. For additional information about the Harmony Homestead, Click here
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Kane Hardwood Certified Lumber
Located
on Scenic Route 6 in Kane, Pennsylvania, Kane Hardwood was one of the
earliest lumber companies in the United States to implement sustainable
forestry practices into the forest industry. Producing third-party certified
lumber and lumber products, Kane Hardwood has reaped the benefits due
to an increasing demand for certified wood products and lack of competition.
For additional information contact Kane Hardwood at 814-837-6941 or click here.
For a free map of the Collins Pennsylvania Forest (there are 126,000 acres over 7 counties) send email here. The land is open to the public for all non-motorized recreational use.
What exactly is certified wood? Certified wood comes from a forest that is well managed, taking into account the entire ecological system including erosion control, selective cutting, and a guarantee that the forest will continue to flourish and provide lumber. Certified lumber also is harvested with respect to social groups such as indigenous peoples and local communities, and follows a Chain-of-Custody system so that sustainable lumber is not mixed with other lumber.
For additional information about sustainable forestry check out the following:
| Institute for Sustainable Forestry | Rainforest Alliance |
| Forest Stewardship Council | SmartWood Certification |
For additional information on Certified Wood suppliers and Green Building techniques, Click here
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USEFUL SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT LINKS
| Center for Sustainable Development | Northwest PA Woodlands Association |
| Eco Gateway | United Nations and Sustainable Development |
| Sustainable Building Sourcebook | Center for Economic and Environmental Development |
| United States Green Building Council |