Mercyhurst College – Erie, Pennsylvania
http://www.mercyhurst.edu/

Contact
Chris Magoc, Ph.D., Green Team, Mercyhurst College, Preston 116, Erie, PA 16546; 814.824.2075; cmagoc@mercyhurst.edu; http://sustainability.mercyhurst.edu/

The Mercyhurst Green Team was co-founded by Sister Maura Smith, RSM, and History Department Chair Dr. Chris Magoc in 2000. In just under 10 short years, Mercyhurst College has cultivated a "green consciousness" that has grown in "viral dimensions" from one end of campus to another – and beyond. Mercyhurst President Thomas J. Gamble signed the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment in 2007.
Today the initiative has earned broad support from the Mercyhurst community, especially students, who leave Mercyhurst committed to applying the lessons of environmental responsibility in their own adult lives.

In 2008, Mercyhurst increased its purchase of wind energy from 10 percent (where it had been since 2003) to 30 percent of the college’s electricity. At 30 percent, the college qualifies for leadership level recognition from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Green Power Partnership, which recognizes organizations making a significant commitment to renewable energy initiatives. Four buildings at Mercyhurst generate cooling and heating with geothermal energy, producing a substantial reduction (anywhere from 40-75%) in CO2 emissions. In 2007, the college installed a 3-kilowatt solar energy panel system to power its maintenance building. From the time of their installation through July 2008, the panels produced over 2400 kWh of energy for the college and have reduced Mercyhurst’s carbon dioxide emissions by over 5,000 pounds. In Fall 2008 the Mercyhurst Green Team launched a campaign to heighten awareness about the importance of energy conservation fostering behavioral change among students, faculty and staff to turn off lights, computers, and other electronics when not in use building on earlier successes investing in energy conserving compact fluorescents in student housing and academic buildings.

Mercyhurst faculty and students are currently completing an inventory of the greenhouse gases emitted by the college. This comprehensive inventory was conducted by students as part of a Field Ecology class with the assistance of the Chemistry Department and the Physical Plant staff. The study will encompass all the energy consumed at the college as well as transportation emissions generated by employees and greenhouse gas emissions related to the food that is consumed on campus. Completion of the inventory will be followed by the production of a plan to reduce our emissions to carbon neutrality.

Mercyhurst infused its green consciousness into the academic curriculum in 2007 with the launch of a minor in sustainability studies and it is now in the early stages of discussions about a Sustainability Studies Major. Annual Earth Day celebrations draw an average 200+ students, faculty and staff. The solar energy panels are used for special projects in classes and student research as well.

The college promotes an active recycling program, from pop cans to newspaper and office paper to computer and electronic equipment (more than 3 tons per year of the latter). Mercyhurst has an average annual recycling rate of 50% of its waste stream. This past winter, the college recycled 1,500 pounds of telephone books as part of the Second Harvest Food Bank fundraising campaign. Student-friendly recycling receptacles throughout the campus and recycling bins in each student apartment bolster participation. Mercyhurst also participates in the popular RecycleMania national competition among colleges and universities. Since 2003, Mercyhurst’s Trash-to-Treasure program collects from students at the end of the academic year approximately 5,000 cubic feet of food, housewares, clothing , and small furniture from students which is delivered to social service organizations in the Erie community instead of the local landfill.

Mercyhurst produced a Master Landscape Plan for the Erie campus that has led to a more environmentally responsible regimen for managing the landscape. This has included the planting of more than 75 trees of native species and the planting of perennial flower beds that have enriched the biological diversity of the campus. Landscaping personnel also have greatly reduced the use of pesticides on the campus and moved to a more environmentally benign de-icing material for use on sidewalks during winter.

Mercyhurst has moved in the direction of more environmentally responsible purchasing. As noted above, this starts with energy, but also includes more post-consumer recycled paper products being made available in its copy center, less bottled water, more Fair Trade organic coffee, and a food service that is moving toward more organic and locally produced/grown products.

The college is moving toward the first stage of implementing a sustainable – organic garden on a small parcel of its 400 acres in Girard. Plans are moving forward for the planting of the first crops in 2009 to supply some cafeteria food.

Student support is indicative of the success of the environmental sustainability movement at Mercyhurst. A student Green Energy Fee was initiated in 2007. Students voted to tax themselves $5 a term, or $15 a year, to establish a Renewable Energy Fund for campus projects such as a Green Roof, planned for the Ceramics Lab; an increase in the purchase of wind energy; and installation of a solar-powered blue-light security system. The Green Energy Fund is administered by a Green Energy Review Fund Board (GERFB), consisting of two students, two faculty members, director of the physical plant, the executive vice president for administration, and one at-large member. The GERFB meets periodically to review green energy proposals, which may be submitted by any student or faculty member.

The college community is kept abreast of Green Team initiatives through its Ecodemia newsletter which also serves as a forum for the submission of stories, photos, and features.

Mercyhurst regularly tries to involve the Erie community in its sustainability programs from an open invitation to its annual Farmer’s Market to active engagement its annual celebration of Earth Week. In 2007, the college opened its doors to the public for Good People Gather, a weekend full of events in support of environmental defense, peace and justice on the planet.


The college has collaborated with local businesses and municipalities to advance regional environmental sustainability. In October 2008 Mercyhurst co-sponsored with the Pennsylvania Clean Air Council a forum on Green Jobs which brought together forward looking business and political leadership from the region to discuss ways to position the region for leadership as the national economy moves toward the emerging paradigm of environmental sustainability. Mercyhurst received 20 trees from the Pennsylvania Department Conservation and Natural Resources through the City of Erie as part of a statewide program to plant one million trees over the next two years. And, the college has provided institutional support to the Lake Erie Region Conservancy to help save diminishing green space of northwest Pennsylvania.