by Joel St. Julien
Sustainable Peace Initiative has been a loud voice at their St. Davids'
campus. Sociology Professor Sherrie Steiner started the organization
this summer. She has gathered students and faculty alike to promote
the Sustainable Peace Initiative (SPI), which hopes to provide the
school with 100% renewable energy within the next three to five years.
Furthermore, the group seeks to "green" Eastern's curriculum
and join the Pennsylvania Consortium for Interdisciplinary Environmental
Policy. During this fall semester, they have spoken in classes, played
music across campus, lobbied for new recycling requirements at the
school, and are currently active in acquiring funds for their new
project. Most recently they hosted the Honorable Ambassador Sopoaga
from Tuvalu to discuss the effects of global climate change in this
South Pacific Island.
What I feel makes them stand out than any other type of environmental
initiative is their program description. They seek to build partnerships
with those less privileged and less noticed: the poorest of the
poor. They have partnered with Urban Promise and Mission Year, local
charitable organizations, to donate clean energy to families in
the inner city. In partnership with Greensgrow (an urban farm in
Philadelphia), environmental groups and local community development
organizations, students interning with SPI will help convert seven
to ten brownfields into working urban farms.
If that's not enough, they are also planning to pilot a program
to provide renewable energy for a rural community in Malawi, Africa
that does not presently have any electricity. They've coined this
action as a "leap frog" development strategy for third
world countries that "leaps" over conventional unrenewable
energy to clean energy. All in all this group is on their way to
doing great things. More importantly they have great leadership.
Dr. Sherrie Steiner is no joke when it comes to facilitating change.
Throughout her life she has been involved in many projects rooted
in environmental action and social change. For the past five years,
she has taught Sociology at Eastern University and has basically
transformed their department as she has now with her new non-profit.
How do I know all of this about her you might ask? Because I am
one of her former students!
For more information on supporting the Sustainable Peace Initiative,
email, Dr. Sherrie Steiner at ssteiner@eastern.edu.
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