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Sister
Mary Elizabeth Clark introduces Dr. Vandana Shiva photo
by Howard Pitkow
Dr.
Vandana Shiva at the Academy of Natural Sciences
Dr.
Vandana Shiva from India visited Philadelphia on July 14 to speak
at a program hosted by the Academy of Natural Sciences. Dr. Shiva spoke
of the significant changes in agriculture brought on by genetically
modified seeds. She encouraged Gardens of Hope and Seed Saving
Sanctuaries. Her center in India, called Navdanya, is a program of
the Research Foundation for science, technology and ecology, a
participatory research initiative she founded. In 1984 the violence of
the Punjab and the Bhopal tragedy demanded a paradigm shift in the
practice of agriculture. Navdanya was born of the search for non-violent
farming, which protects biodiversity, Earth, and small farmers. Navdanya
fights against patents on seeds and plants and stands for seed
sovereignty, people's right to food and water security.
Dr.
Vandana Shiva photo
by Howard Pitkow
Special
Assistant to the President for Sustainability
Sister Mary
Elizabeth Clark, Director of the Sisters of Saint Joseph Earth Center,
has been appointed to the position of Special
Assistant to the President for Sustainability of Chestnut Hill College.
The appointment was announced by Sister Carol Jean Vale, President of
Chestnut Hill College on
March 10, 2010, at the Chestnut Hill College In-service
Day for Deepening of the Core Values of the College, at which the
value highlighted was "Concern for Earth."
Great
Opportunity
An exciting
evolutionary aspect of the Sisters of Saint Joseph Earth Center is the
opportunity to demonstrate one of the most sustainable forms of energy
production. The geothermal well drilled for the new site will provide
the heating and cooling systems, thus reducing the carbon footprint of
the building tremendously. In addition, rainwater collected on the roof
will go down pipes in the columns and be collected in a cistern
underground. This water will then be used to care for the landscape
gardens. The original wooden floor has been restored to its natural
pine, and the floor of the loft made with oak from ethically harvested
trees. The paint used contains no toxic materials.
The new site is well
situated on the grounds of Chestnut Hill College. Sister Mary Elizabeth
Clark will work with the administration, faculty, staff and students of
the College to integrate practices of and courses in sustainability and
its connection to spirituality. The SSJ Earth Center provides a place to
collect "best practices" in sustainability and to network in
the Northwest Philadelphia Community with groups interested in delving
more deeply into issues of sustainability and spirituality in the
Wissahickon watershed bioregion.
House
of Loreto Reredos Preserved
The most
precious pieces of the House of Loreto Chapel are the "reredos"
and the Ebony Madonna which are preserved on the wall within the Earth
Center. The wooden structure came directly from the original House of
Loreto in Italy when it was replaced with a marble one.
The Ebony
Madonna that was in the chapel also now resides within the reredos. The
Church of St. Athanasius borrowed the statue and returned it with an
exquisite brocade garb. This statue was placed in the original House of
Loreto in Italy for a time prior to its transfer in 1897.
Geothermal
Well in Place and Working
One of the
major environmentally sensitive features of the renovation is the
installation of a geothermal well for heating and cooling of the
building. Already the geothermal heating is at work.
A simple
explanation of the principle behind the geothermal well is the use of
the heat within the earth to heat the interior in winter and to cool
it during the summer. This alternative form of energy use is a
demonstration of what can be done to reduce the carbon footprint of
burning oil or gas.
Rainwater
Captured and Reused
Rainwater
that falls on the roof of the House of Loreto will flow through the
columns to an underground cistern that will store the water for use on
the grounds. A hose will be attached to the cistern for watering the
gardens. This will assist in the mission of capturing rainwater to avoid
erosion of soil and runoff into the Wissahickon.
The Philadelphia Water
Department and the Wissahickon Watershed Alliance have worked hard to
reduce the amount of water lost by poor drainage and impermeable paving.
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