2008 Woodie Awards
Nearby facility teaches importance of going green
By Matt Georger
Rocket Contributor
Issue date: 4/20/07 Section: Focus
Sustainability.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency defines it as the ability to achieve continuing economic prosperity while protecting the natural systems of the planet and providing a high quality of life for its people. What this boils down to is people making a conscious effort to take care of the planet so that future generations can enjoy it as well.
Just north of Slippery Rock, off the beaten path that is I-79, is the McKeever Environmental Learning Center. At McKeever, sustainability is a way of life. From the carpeting made of recycled soda bottles to the "Low-E" high-performance windows, everything at McKeever is done with the environment in mind.
"Anything we do here at McKeever is going to reflect what we teach," said Fran Bires, director of the center.
Since coming to the center in 1983, and especially since becoming the director in 1995, Bires has seen McKeever become much more environmentally friendly. All of the buildings now use compact fluorescent light bulbs, and the newest buildings use geothermal heating and cooling systems, which use the ground instead of outside air to provide heating, air conditioning and hot water.
Bires is particularly proud of the deck that was recently added outside of the dining hall. It is made entirely of composite lumber, which consists of reclaimed wood and recycled plastic.
The facility, which is administered by SRU and the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education, consists of 10 cabin-like buildings surrounded by 205 acres of forest. Five hiking trails traverse the grounds with a total distance of 4.5 miles. The trails are open to the public all year, but there is usually more than hiking going on at McKeever.
Most of the work the McKeever staff does is with schools. Fifth- and sixth-grade students from Pittsburgh's St. Joseph's and Sewickley Academies spent the last several days participating in the Sunship Earth program. The focus of the program is to teach children their place in space, and to give them an ecological understanding of how the planet's life systems function.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency defines it as the ability to achieve continuing economic prosperity while protecting the natural systems of the planet and providing a high quality of life for its people. What this boils down to is people making a conscious effort to take care of the planet so that future generations can enjoy it as well.
Just north of Slippery Rock, off the beaten path that is I-79, is the McKeever Environmental Learning Center. At McKeever, sustainability is a way of life. From the carpeting made of recycled soda bottles to the "Low-E" high-performance windows, everything at McKeever is done with the environment in mind.
"Anything we do here at McKeever is going to reflect what we teach," said Fran Bires, director of the center.
Since coming to the center in 1983, and especially since becoming the director in 1995, Bires has seen McKeever become much more environmentally friendly. All of the buildings now use compact fluorescent light bulbs, and the newest buildings use geothermal heating and cooling systems, which use the ground instead of outside air to provide heating, air conditioning and hot water.
Bires is particularly proud of the deck that was recently added outside of the dining hall. It is made entirely of composite lumber, which consists of reclaimed wood and recycled plastic.
The facility, which is administered by SRU and the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education, consists of 10 cabin-like buildings surrounded by 205 acres of forest. Five hiking trails traverse the grounds with a total distance of 4.5 miles. The trails are open to the public all year, but there is usually more than hiking going on at McKeever.
Most of the work the McKeever staff does is with schools. Fifth- and sixth-grade students from Pittsburgh's St. Joseph's and Sewickley Academies spent the last several days participating in the Sunship Earth program. The focus of the program is to teach children their place in space, and to give them an ecological understanding of how the planet's life systems function.
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