Indiana University of Pennsylvania
The Sustainable Indiana Project: Supporting Grassroots Efforts to Foster Sustainable Communities and Environments in Indiana County
The Sustainable Indiana Project is an exciting new partnership between Indiana University of Pennsylvania (the Anthropology Department and the Center for Appalachian Studies) and a local grassroots community organization, the Coalition for a Healthy County (CHC). The 2012 ATP students met with the CHC steering committee at the beginning of the Fall semester to partner groups of students with CHC mentors. Each student group was responsible for working with a mentor to conduct one component of the CHC's envisioning sustainability project. The project involved a survey of CHC individual members regarding cultural and environmental assets, perceptions of environmental risks, and priorities for working towards a sustainable future in our county. The survey helped to identify specific places of concern in the Indiana County community that may be the target for future brownfields remediation projects conducted by CHC and partner organizations. The second aspect of the "envisioning sustainability project" involved interviews with organizations that are members of CHC and groups they work closely with on issues of sustainability. These interviews explored their vision of sustainability in Indiana County and the efforts of their organization to achieve this vision.
Contact Information:
Dr. Amanda Poole
Indiana University of Pennsylvania
G1K McElhaney Hall
441 North Walk
Indiana, PA 15705-1085
Telephone: 724-910-0753
E-Mail: pooleab@iup.edu
Previous Conference Participation: 2010 2009