Ribbon Cutting, Sustainability Festival On Tap For MCCC Earth Day 2016‏

Blue Bell/Pottstown, Pa.—Montgomery County Community College (MCCC) will join communities across the world in celebrating Earth Day 2016 with a series of activities that engage students, faculty and community members with the institution’s sustainability efforts.

MCCC’s celebration kicks off on Monday, April 18 with the grand opening of the college’s Sustainability and Innovation Hub, located 140 College Drive in Pottstown. The opening marks the completion of the multiphase Riverfront Academic and Heritage Center project, which transformed a former energy substation and three-acre Brownfield site into a state-of-the-art center for STEM education, conservation and recreation.   A ribbon cutting ceremony will take place at 1:30 p.m., followed by tours of the Sustainability and Innovation Hub, as well as tours of the Schuylkill River Heritage Area’s Interpretative Center.

Prior to ceremony, MCCC’s West Campus will host a Sustainability Fair in its South Hall, 101 College Drive, from noon-1 p.m. The fair will highlight many of the College’s green practices and STEM-related academic programming.

MCCC’s observation of Earth Day continues on Wednesday, April 20 at noon with a Sustainability Festival in the Advanced Technology Center at the Central Campus, 340 DeKalb Pike, Blue Bell. The festival will feature sustainable student and College exhibits, as well as information and activities from green vendors and community organizations. Assistant Professor of Biology Jerry Coleman will also offer a walking tour of a proposed trail route that will pass through MCCC’s Central Campus, weather permitting.

Following the Sustainability Festival on Wednesday, April 20, MCCC’s Student Environmental Sustainability Club will host a discussion with Montgomery County Recycling Coordinator Veronica Harris in Science Center room 308 from 2-3 p.m.

During Earth Day events at both campuses, MCCC’s Ceramics Club, in collaboration with the Inter-Faith Housing Alliance in Ambler, will be selling handmade bowls as part of its Empty Bowls Project—an international grassroots effort to raise awareness in the fight to end hunger. Individuals who purchase a bowl—or who bring their own bowl—can receive a 25-cent discount off the purchase of soup in MCCC’s cafeterias.

Since signing the American College & University Presidents’ Climate Commitment in 2007, sustainability has become a core value at Montgomery County Community College and is incorporated into the institution’s strategic plan, core curriculum, and in everyday best practices as they relate to facilities management, campus operations and transportation. A team of faculty, staff, students, alumni and community members comprise the Climate Commitment Advisory Council, which guides MCCC’s sustainability efforts toward attaining carbon neutrality by 2050.

Pottsgrove Manor River Walk Sept. 24‏th

Pottstown, Pennsylvania — On Saturday, September 24, Pottsgrove Manor’s historic site supervisor will offer an informative walking tour from the Manor to the Riverfront Park along the Schuylkill River. The walk will begin at Pottsgrove Manor at 11:00 a.m. and will conclude at the site at 2:00 p.m.

Along the way, we will discuss the history and importance of the Manatawny Creek and the Schuylkill River to the ironworking business of the Potts family.  A picnic lunch along the river will be provided before heading back to the Manor.  An optional guided tour of the house will be offered upon returning to Pottsgrove Manor.  Please bring water, wear sunscreen and/or a hat, and wear comfortable shoes.  The route is approximately 2 miles of paved trail and sidewalk.  The terrain is mostly flat, with one set of stairs.

There is a fee of $15 for this program.  Registration is required by September 20th.  Registrants will be given a choice of boxed lunches when they call to register.

Pottsgrove Manor, home of John Potts, colonial ironmaster and founder of Pottstown, is located at 100 West King Street near the intersection of King Street and Route 100, just off Route 422, in Pottstown, Pennsylvania.  Pottsgrove Manor is operated by Montgomery County under the direction of the Parks and Heritage Services Department.

Regular museum hours: Tuesday to Saturday, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. & Sunday, 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. Tours are given on the hour; last tour of the day begins as 3:00 p.m. Groups of 10 or more should pre-register by calling 610.326.4014. For more information and a full calendar of events, visit us on the web at

http://historicsites.montcopa.org/pottsgrovemanor or http://www.facebook.com/PottsgroveManor.

Bethlehem Opens 10.9-Mile Heritage Trail

Historic Bethlehem has a new heritage trail that can be viewed via an 80-stop walking tour.  The City of Bethlehem unveiled this project to the public on Monday.  The tour includes such sites and the Waterworks and Bethlehem Steel.

There are six links in the tour: Moravian Founders, Monocacy Valley, Westward Expansion, Victorian Bethlehem, Farmland to Industry and Steel.  The self-guided tour charts the city’s progress since 1741.  There is also an audio component to the tour which can be purchased for $12.00.  Bethlehem already had several walking tours and many of these 80 sites had previously been renovated.  This Heritage Trail has tied everything together for visitors and residents alike.

A heritage trail is also being developed for Pottstown.  Sue Repko and Tom Carroll have been working very hard to make this happen.  It will leverage the rich history of Pottstown and its location on the Schuylkill River.  There are many similarities between Pottstown and Bethlehem.  Both communities were large steel producers during their industrial heyday and have many historic homes and buildings.  The difference is that Bethlehem has capitalized on their heritage for some time now and continues to identify ways to attract business, industry, new residents and visitors.  Let us hope with the recent momentum of PAID and our own heritage trail initiative that Pottstown can add another similarity to Bethlehem.

For more information on Bethlehem’s Heritage Trail, click here:

http://www.historicbethlehem.org/index.cfm?organization_id=127&section_id=1925&page_id=9603