After being exposed to a variety of toxic substances while renovating his home in 1980, Clint Good, class of â77, developed hypersensitivities to compounds in paints, adhesives and other building materials. He was just 27 years old. Good visited numerous doctors as he struggled to regain his health. He began paying close attention to the
The house taking shape on the property of Kim and Mike Martin, both â94 grads, in Greencastle, Pennsylvania, was largely inspired by the coupleâs service term with Mennonite Central Committee in Mexico. Living in a society with a material standard of living far below that of the US middle-class has shaped many lifestyle decisions theyâve
For decades, environmental sustainability across the world has been a focus of 91´óÉń alumni working in international development, usually working with Mennonite Central Committee (MCC). In recent years, many people linked to 91´óÉń â alumni, staff and faculty â have answered MCCâs call to reverse the degradation of Godâs creation, encompassing land, sky and seas.
The fact that Paul â79 and Shirley â80 Hoover had no background or experience in the dairy industry did little to stop them from entering the business in 1991. Neither did the fact that they had five children at home. And after two years in partnership with another couple, they struck out on their own,
These eight examples in three states show the range of agricultural work in which alumni are engaged â greenhouse operations, raising meat and poultry, dairy farming, marketing of produce, working the land as a form of rehabilitation. Dawn â91 and Troy (class of â92) Alderfer raise corn, soybeans and wheat, dairy heifers and about 56,000
The latest improvement at Village Acres Farm in Mifflintown, Pennsylvania, is a new kitchen and education center where Hope and Roy L. Brubaker â67 and plan to host cooking classes. They have been concerned lately about the health effects of poor diets. Maybe offering a crash course in cooking with fresh vegetables would be a
Sustainability canât exist in a vacuum, says Nelson Longenecker â78, the vice-president for business innovation at Four Seasons Produce in Ephrata, Pennsylvania. âFrom a business standpoint, it needs to be driven by what makes sense,â he says. To that end, Nelson has worked to reduce his environmental footprint and operating costs with a variety of
Andrea Stoner Leaman â98 was finishing a masterâs degree in social work at Temple University in 2009 when she first heard of âCreative Reuse Centersâ â organizations that connect excess materials with âanyone who can use them creatively.â Though nearly 100 CRCs operate across the country, the only other one in Pennsylvania was in Pittsburgh.
Working for the federal government was not necessarily the dream job of Dave Hockman-Wert â91 after graduate school, but, nine years ago, his roots sank into the Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center (FRESC) of Corvallis, and he has remained ever since. FRESC is part of the Biological Resources division of the federal science agency
Before his retirement, Paul S. Lehman â63, PhD (plant pathology), spent decades as a government-employed research scientist, mainly focused on excluding pests and diseases through phytosanitary practices rather than by chemical means. Today, however, his research focuses on his backyard. Mary Ellen â62 and Paul Lehman have retired to farmland in the Laurel Highlands of
