Sustainable Economic Development Summit V Held October 8th
On Saturday, October 8th, the Indiana County Sustainable Economic Development Task Force held its annual Summit. Experts and local leaders shared how our small communities are making big changes to create a sustainable economy. You can now access the Summit V (2022) recordings, as well as recordings from past Summits, at sustainableindianacounty.org or on YouTube by searching “ICSED Task Force”. Feel free to contact sustainableindianacounty@gmail.com with speaker nominations for Summit VI (2023) or for more information about sustainability events and activities in Indiana County.
Presentation titles and speakers are as follows:
- Broadband in Indiana County
Speakers: Byron Stauffer, Jr., Executive Director of the Indiana County Office of Planning & Development (ICOPD) - Commercial Development Financing Through C-PACE
Speakers: Kelly Sanders, Director Programs of the Sustainable Energy Fund; Brian Hillard, Government Relations of the Sustainable Energy Fund; Elaine Evosevic-Lozada, Manager, Special Projects & Finance, Allegheny County Economic Development - Indiana County Solar Co-Op
Speaker: Henry McKay, Pennsylvania Program Director at Solar United Neighbors (SUN) - Water Restoration Projects in Homer City, McIntyre, and Tanoma
Speakers: Robert Nymick, Manager of the Central Indiana County Water Authority, and Borough Manager of Homer City; Cindy Rogers, President of Evergreen Conservancy; Adriene Smochek, Board of Directors of Evergreen Conservancy - Local Food Forest & Community Garden
Speaker: Marie Thomas-Olson, Chevy Chase Food Forest - Sustainability Efforts at IUP
Speakers: Dr. Jerry Pickering, retired Professor of Biology, on the Confluence Park Project; Dr. Brian Okey, Professor of Geography, on environmental fieldwork in the surrounding community; Dr. Joe Townsend, Professor of Biology, on researching sustainability issues in international settings; BA Herrington, MFA, Professor of Woodworking in the Department of Art and Design and Director of The Wood Center at IUP, on The Wood Center at IUP’s Harvest-to-Use initiative
This year’s Summit V was the first in-person Summit since 2019 and included an electric vehicle show. The Indiana County Sustainable Economic Development Summit V is made possible through the support of the League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania, the Indiana County Office of Planning & Development, and the Sustainability Studies Program at the Indiana University of Pennsylvania.