Penn State New Kensington awarded $75,000 sustainability grant
West Penn Power Sustainable Energy Fund grant will be used for sustainability practices for city of New Kensington
NEW KENSINGTON, Pa. --- The West Penn Power Sustainable Energy Fund (WPPSEF) has awarded Penn State New Kensington $75,000 to aid in incorporating sustainability and best practices to the campus-led Corridor of Innovation and revitalization efforts in the city of New Kensington.
Kevin Snider, chancellor of Penn State New Kensington, has been leading a charge with government and community partners in an effort to create a model of rust belt revitalization to be used in New Kensington, with a larger goal of replication in other small, Rust Belt towns.
“Our campus continues to be active partners with city and Westmoreland County officials, as well as community members and leaders, to move New Kensington forward in new and innovative ways,” said Snider.
“With the help of partners like WPPSEF, we can now incorporate more robust sustainability practices and community education to our current planning,” continued Snider.
The newest award will allow for the creation of a community educational workshop to be held in September that will host speakers and sessions related to sustainability and energy for community members and business owners. The workshop will also help identify local needs and gaps. Remaining funding will help raise awareness and support projects such as a sustainable roofing research project in the downtown area that will contribute to a more sustainable community.
Joel Morrison, WPPSEF administrator stated that, “This new sustainable energy partnership with Penn State New Kensington and its Corner LaunchBox will raise the level of awareness of sustainable energy in the New Kensington community. We hope that the funding will bring positive change to the Corridor of Innovation.”
Snider and the campus have been active in the city’s revitalization efforts through initiatives such as locating the campus’ entrepreneurial center and co-working space, The Corner, along Fifth Avenue, and creating a Corridor of Innovation, a five-block stretch of Fifth Avenue between The Corner and Westmoreland County Community College’s New Kensington Center, in partnership with the City and Community Foundation of Westmoreland County.
About the West Penn Power Sustainable Energy Fund
The WPPSEF is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that invests in the deployment of sustainable energy technologies that benefit West Penn Power rate payers in Pennsylvania. WPPSEF investments are focused in three broad categories:
Deployment of sustainable and clean energy technologies;
Deployment of energy efficiency and conservation technologies; and
Facilitating economic development, environmental betterment, and public education as they relate to sustainable energy deployment in the WPP service region.
