With grant funding from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, Allegheny College environmental science professor Jennifer DeHart and a group of environmental studies students have begun a two-part project to help the City of Meadville reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.
“This project not only serves the city well, promising to make Meadville the first municipality in the region to have a professionally developed greenhouse gas inventory and climate action plan, but it will also provide students with real-world, hands-on experience, a major component of Allegheny’s well-regarded environmental science department pedagogy,” said DeHart.
“Beyond that,” she said, “by participating in such a meaningful community-based research and service learning project, these students will undoubtedly develop a stronger connection to the Meadville community.”
“The city is fortunate to have an institution like Allegheny located here,” said Meadville City Manager Joe Chriest. “We can build upon the expertise Jennifer DeHart has gained on similar projects and use it to our benefit. We have also joined the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives to provide the tools necessary to complete the inventory and to see what other cities around the world are doing.”
What will happen
Part one of the project, which began this month, involves completing a greenhouse gas inventory, including the development of emissions projections for the city. In part two, DeHart will work with stakeholders in the community to develop a climate action plan, which will help the city move toward a mutually agreed upon emission reduction target.
Andrew Pfeifer, a senior from Wyckoff, N.J., with a major in environmental science and minor in German; Brendan O’Leary, a junior from Birmingham, Mich., with a double major in environmental science and environmental geology and a minor in religious studies; and Sam Elliot, a junior from Henrietta, N.Y., with an environmental science major and English minor, will work with Chriest and DeHart to complete a baseline inventory of such contributors to greenhouse gas emissions as vehicle emissions, waste water, solid waste, natural gas, electricity and refrigerants.
“Our intention is to create an inventory that is comprehensive, covering to the greatest extent possible all of the energy expended by the City of Meadville,” said Pfeifer.
The second part of the project, developing an emissions reduction target and climate action plan, will take place in concert with the inventory work.
“As we begin to see some of the numbers and get a sense of where the most easily achieved energy savings can occur, both at the municipal level and community wide, we’ll work with area stakeholders to start to create consensus with respect to goals and strategies,” DeHart said. “Putting it all together, from inventory data and goals to strategies and tactics, into a climate action plan that engages our citizens in creating effective solutions is the ultimate objective of the project.”
Individuals or organizations that would like to become involved in developing Meadville’s climate action plan should contact DeHart at jennifer.dehart@allegheny.edu.
DeHart has collaborated and directed similar projects on a variety of scales including institutions (Allegheny College), multiple counties (the Global Change in Local Places NASA research project) and states (North Carolina). In her past work she has collaborated with the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives support staff and used the council’s software for inventorying, projections and modeling mitigation strategies. Since 2001, DeHart has been an active member of the Pennsylvania Environmental Resource Consortium (PERC) energy and climate committee.
Local News
NEW LOCAL: College-city team awarded grant to help reduce greenhouse gas
- Local News
-
-
Budget, aesthetics a balancing act at Armory
The next time there’s a moment or two to spare for quiet contemplation, pause in the vicinity of the City of Meadville’s picturesque Diamond Park. Let your eyes rest on Parkside Commons, the meticulously refurbished structure at the northeast end of the park that was once known as “the old junior high.” Make a point of focusing on the windows.
-
Former rockers Drywater enjoying glow from album's rebirth
It’s funny how perceptions can differ from one person to the next; how what sparkles in one set of eyes can appear tarnished in another.
-
Edinboro site eyed for retirement homes
About two years after halting expansion plans into the Conneaut Lake area, Meadville-based Wesbury United Methodist Retirement Community now is looking to expand north into Erie County, possibly sometime in 2013.
-
Langley voted in as Meadville City Council's new member
“Pleased” is the word that best describes Bob Langley’s response to the news that he had been selected to fill Meadville City Council’s vacant seat.
-
French Creek conservation group to benefit from environmentalist's talk
When one of the world’s best known environmentalists, the author and activist Bill McKibben, speaks next week at Allegheny College, his audience will likely be putting some money where its heart is — right into French Creek.
-
Vernon Police chief suspects 'human interaction' in Sunday fire
An investigation is continuing into a weekend fire that destroyed a historic structure in Vernon Township, and Vernon police are urging anyone with information to give them a call.
-
Walker hired to fill Meadville's newest administrative position
The City of Meadville’s soon-to-be-newest administrator is a familiar name in the area and familiar with the city.
-
Edinboro protest planned against proposed state budget cuts
If you’re a student or faculty member at Edinboro University of Pennsylvania, don’t be surprised if Trevor Belz, a sophomore from Saegertown, shares some strong opinions with you in the next few days — and urges your attendance at a campuswide protest planned for Tuesday.
-
Local legislators: Corbett budget off to a good start
Elected officials representing Crawford County in Pennsylvania’s Senate and House of Representatives are gearing up for what looks like a lengthy budget process.
-
Crawford Central's Heller says new budget plan hobbles school districts
Area educators haven’t had a lot of time to mull over the implications of the budget proposal presented Tuesday to a joint meeting of Pennsylvania’s Senate and House of Representatives by Republican Gov. Tom Corbett.
- More Local News Headlines
-
Budget, aesthetics a balancing act at Armory
Pop Music Superstar Whitney Houston Dies at 48
Police: Houston Found Dead in Her Hotel Room
Paul Suffers Narrow Loss to Romney in Maine
Recording Superstar Whitney Houston Dead at 48
Maine GOP Chairman Says Romney Wins Caucuses
Palin Brings Anti-Washington Message to CPAC
Obama Scraps Birth Control Mandate
US Airmen's Killer Sentenced to Life in Germany
Navy Names Ship for Gabrielle Giffords
Raw Video: Deadly Blasts in Syria
Romney Slams President Obama at CPAC
Gingrich: Pres. Obama 'waging War on Religion'
5 Killed in Wrong-way Crash on I-10 in La.
Uzbek Man Pleads Guilty in Plot to Kill Obama
Denver's Largest-Ever Drug Bust Nets Dozens
Marines: No Punishment for Nazi-like Flag
Vets Look to Translate Military Skills Into Jobs
Raw Video: School Bus Burst Into Flames
LA School Reopens Amid Sex Abuse Scandal
$25B Settlement Reached Over Foreclosure Abuses
