Grant will help PEEC walk the walk on sustainability

DINGMANS FERRY — The Pocono Environmental Education Center (PEEC) in Dingmans Ferry was recently awarded $25,000 from the Metropolitan Edison Company Sustainable Energy Fund, which is administered by the Berks County Community Foundation.

The grant will be used to retrofit three housing units on the PEEC campus with sustainable energy technologies, including solar and wind-turbine generated power. Super-insulation materials will also be installed to ensure maximum efficiency in heating and cooling the living space within the units.

With more than 10,000 students from elementary school through college staying overnight at PEEC each year, these new technologies are also designed to be instructive about the benefits of sustainable energy. Gauges installed in each unit actually demonstrate both the energy and cost savings of these new technologies.

“Though we tell people all the time about the benefits of sustainable energy technologies, this message has far more impact when someone experiences it firsthand," said PEEC Executive Director Jeff Rosalsky. "When we show them the 'numbers' of it, they become both believers and advocates.”

The Metropolitan Edison Company Sustainable Energy Fund promotes the development and use of renewable energy and clean energy technologies, energy conservation and efficiency, sustainable energy businesses and projects that improve the environment, said Heidi Williamson, Vice President for Programs and Initiatives at Berks County Community Foundation.

“This project at the Pocono Environmental Education Center will show that energy consumption can be reduced though technology without losing comfort or convenience,” Williamson said. “Sustainable energy technologies are improving every year and are becoming standard practice in new construction and building renovations.”

Jeff Rosalsky also said the Metropolitan Edison Company Sustainable Energy Fund is one of many important partners in PEEC’s 21st Century Sustainability Campaign, which has an objective of converting all existing buildings to more sustainable energy sources over the next several years. He said that PEEC wishes to serve as an example of change for others to follow.

He went on to say that with more than 25,000 visitors each year, PEEC has a huge impact.

PEEC is a private, non-profit organization and the education partner of the National Park Service in the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area. This unique public/private partnership has served the education community for over forty years. Approximately 24,000 people visit PEEC annually.

For more information about PEEC visit peec.org.