Macoskey Center open house promotes environmental sustainability
SLIPPERY ROCK TWP — Slippery Rock University’s Macoskey Center for Sustainability Education and Research wanted to use April 22 this year, Earth Day, to promote it’s initiatives and goals — promoting sustainability and environmental education.
That’s why the center held an open house for community members to explore its ongoing projects and efforts in areas like heat-loss prevention, decarbonization, composting and keeping the environment clean.
The open house was part of the Macoskey Center’s monthlong “Earth Month” program held in collaboration with the West Penn Energy Fund. The program has featured other events, such as guest speakers and education sessions on sustainability and environmental awareness.
The open house featured a tour for community members to see the 70-acre center’s expansive learning garden for various crops, stations of solar panels, the beekeeping area with about 10 separate beehives and a greenhouse.
Community members could go inside the center’s spring house, which is noticeably cooler inside because of a garden-covered roof that blocks sunlight and heat. Children on the tour got to pet one of the center’s resident chickens.
At the open house, Macoskey Center students presented their work and research on sustainability. This included a number of ways to minimize energy loss.
One example was the creation of a homemade hydroponic system that makes the gardening process twice as fast. Another includes finding ways to compost food at university facilities.
“Some of this technology, it’s not always that complicated, but you have to pay attention to details,” Joel Morrison, fund administrator of the West Penn Energy Fund, said of the students’ efforts to promote sustainability.
According to its website, the West Penn Energy Fund is a nonprofit that “invests in the deployment of sustainable energy technologies that benefit West Penn Power ratepayers in Pennsylvania.”
Kristi Krott with the West Penn Energy Fund said the fund thinks it is important to support the initiatives of the Macoskey Center. She said the center’s mission aligns with the fund’s goals.
“The West Penn Energy Fund is a nonprofit that promotes energy sustainability, economic development, education and environmental betterment. It partners with the Macoskey Center to put on this Earth month and activities to support efforts toward sustainable energy, sustainable practices and everything the Macoskey Center does,” Krott said.
Morrison said the efforts of the SRU students at the Macoskey Center working to promote sustainability are exceedingly important for the future and are worth investing in.
“The students, that’s the future. They’re the new faces,” Morrison said.
