A medium-size catholic university, Mercyhurst College was founded in Erie, Pa., by the Sisters of Mercy in 1926. The Erie campus, located on a picturesque hillside crowning the city, offers 50 undergraduate majors with 67 concentrations, as well as unique adult programs and six graduate programs. In addition, it maintains its one- and two-year programs at a campus in scenic North East, just 20 minutes from Erie. Also, in the fall of 2006, Mercyhurst opened its third campus, Mercyhurst West, in neighboring Girard, Pa.

 

 

In sizing up its green strategies, it became abundantly clear to the university sponsors from the start that if they were to embark upon these ambitious green and sustainable efforts, they would not be able to fall back on external funding to propel the effort. Indeed, funding presented a major challenge in the school's quest to push through the multiple green projects in which it regarded as vital to its overall mission. (The school continues to seek EPA Region 3 and EPA 7 funding for future green-building endeavors, via cooperative partnerships with the public sector. All total, the school relied on no loans, grants or financial assistance from any public or private organizations to execute the work completed thus far.)

Created 'Green Team'

What the university did do to push the needle for its efforts was establishment of the Mercyhurst Green Team, a constellation of forces that includes administration, physical plant staff, faculty, and students. Forward movement on sustainability at Mercyhurst appears even more impressive in light of the largely voluntary and increasingly viral nature of the effort. Having moved forward on these issues with a relatively small investment of human and financial resources, the college has positioned itself to now elevate the institution to a much higher level of environmental performance both within and beyond the campus community.
 

Here's what the university has accomplished in by and large going about this effort internally. The establishment of: 

Four geothermally heated and cooled buildings that have demonstrated the economic and benefits of this green energy technology in northwest Pennsylvania;

A three-kilowatt array of solar panels, positioned prominently on the lawn fronting East 38th Street, that powers the maintenance building and saves the college $12,000 annually;

Brokered through Community Energy, purchase of 10% (off-site transmission) wind power from 2003 to 2008; 30% from 2008-2010; and beginning July 2010, the college will be powered 100% by wind (9,987 pounds of CO2 annually, eliminating Scope 2 emissions entirely);

Movement from 10% recycling rate to more than 50% by 2009;

Overwhelming passage (by referendum and petition) of a $5/student/term Green Energy Fee to bolster the college’s commitment to renewable energy;

Installation of a green roof and an Earth Tub Composting system, 2010;

Establishment of a Sustainability Studies Minor (2007) and Major (2010);

At its 400-acre property in Girard, the school Green Team established a sustainable agriculture demonstration farm that grows food for use in the cafeteria and local farmers market, and conducts research on farm water conservation, carbon sequestration science, and methods of restoring degraded farmland soil;

Ongoing investments in energy efficiency and energy conservation; for example, in 2006 installation of CFs in campus housing alone netted cost savings of $13,000; NO was reduced by 428 pounds, SO2 by 1,323 pounds, CO 2 by 189,872 pounds annually;

Commitment to Carbon Neutrality

Beyond these campus accomplishments are the activities and projects that link the Mercyhurst sustainability program to the community of greater Erie. These efforts are inspired by the historic mission of the Sisters of Mercy (and higher education more broadly) to engage with the world beyond our gates and to advance the goal of a more just, enlightened and equitable society and more secure future globally.

Some of the other specific initiatives include:
Green Building Seminar for architects, contractors, school officials and the general public, co-sponsored with the Pennsylvania Department of Higher Education, 2003. Institutional support for the Lake Erie Region Conservancy, which has successfully preserved green space through conservation easements and large grants.

Creation of the Partnership for a Healthy Mill Creek Watershed under the auspices of the Mercyhurst Civic Institute, which in 2002-03 mapped cancer rates in Erie County.

Grant-funded (through the state DEP) partnership with the City of Erie in 2006 to strengthen the campus (and region) recycling program.

Grant-funded (through the PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources) partnership with the City of Erie to plant (native) trees on campus and on campus perimeter - to help alleviate storm water outflow (and to advance carbon sequestration).

Workshops on green landscaping practices, 2004-2005 - for our grounds keeping staff but opened to the public.
Co-sponsorship with the Pennsylvania Clean Air Council of a forum on “Green Jobs for Northwest Pennsylvania,” which brought together business and political leaders to begin forging a strategy to position the region for leadership on the green economy.

Co-founded northwest Pennsylvania satellite of the Pittsburgh Green Building Alliance.

Hosted a “Focus the Nation” public forum (2008) that brought municipal officials together with students and faculty and community members to discuss local strategies aimed at reducing the imminent threat of climate change. Similarly, the college hosted “Political Roundtable Breakfasts” in 2003-04 to discuss Great Lakes restoration efforts.

Consistent engagement of students in environmental service projects in the region: faculty and undergraduate student assistance to the nationally recognized Lake Erie-Allegheny Earth Force environmental education initiative in the public schools; annual cleanups in distressed areas of the city; neighborhood soil testing and Presque Isle Bay water sampling; and assistance to our neighbor Jefferson Elementary in composting.

Currently spearheading an emerging association of urban gardens and farmers markets, with faculty and Sustainability Studies students engaged in surveying neighborhoods and also conducting soil sampling in brownfield sites that are in ideal locations for potential urban gardens.

Environmental impacts

From an environmental cleanup standpoint, this effort was a voluntary project. A community partnership enabled the work as well as Mercyhurst College's technical assistance through the implementation of technical remediation and pollution prevention activities. Faculty, students and community groups all comprise the work force within this effort.

The contaminants present on the site were primary air quality pollutants and water pollutants. The environmental results were identified and measured with a pollution index, statistically analysis and quantitative/qualitative analysis and comparative analysis.

ENROLLMENT 3,226
FULL-TIME EMPLOYEES 434
FULL-TIME FACULTY 136
CAMPUS 75 acres with 80 buildings