By MARGIE TRAX PAGE - Staff Writer - mtrax@starbeacon.com
ROCK CREEK — Waste Management Geneva Landfill has donated $10,000 for the new Boy Scout Environmental Resource Center (ERC) at Beaumont in Rock Creek, in support of local educational programs, Waste Management spokesperson Beth Schmucker said.
“This donation will support the educational programs of the ERC at Beaumont Scout Reservation,” Schmucker said.
The 2,200 square foot, $500,000 building is built to Ohio School Facilities Commission’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Program Silver standards and opened in late May, Schmucker reports.
Ashtabula Soil and Water Conservation District official Jim Welker will present Enviroscape, which is the first program at the facility, she said.
Enviroscape will begin Sept. 12.
Monthly environmental programs, designed in conjunction with the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, will be offered free to the public.
“Some of the building’s green features include composting toilets and a gray water treatment system, a wind turbine, and windows and insulation.
“This gift will allow us to promote this new resource to schools, colleges, community groups, naturalists and scientists in Northeast Ohio. Waste Management’s generous contribution will really make a positive difference in our educational efforts,” Boy Scout Executive Barry Norris said.
Waste Management Geneva Landfill site manager Evan Jahn said he is excited about the new partnership to help the environment.
“Besides safety, one of our company’s top priorities is environmental education,” he said. “We look forward to this being the beginning of a new partnership to help teach all ages from northeast Ohio about the environment.”
ERC officials are developing a schedule of educational programs, which will be offered by appointment to regional schools and other groups, Schmucker reports. Boy scouts will have exclusive use of the facility during the summer camping season.
“The ERC will focus on good stewardship of the natural resources found in the environment in addition to education in conservation, environmental practices, renewable fuels and alternative energy for the community and for scouts,” Schmucker said.
The Greater Cleveland Council and Boy Scouts of America want to make the ERC and all the facilities of the reservation available, Schmucker said.
“Potential users will include schools, colleges, community groups, naturalists and scientists in northeast Ohio,” she said.
The ERC was funded through donations from 31 donors, and over 1,200 hours of volunteer labor came from the scouts.
This summer, 376 merit badges were earned in the new ERC. The merit badges awarded included environmental science, geology, nature, weather, mammal study, fish and wildlife management, and forestry.
For more information about the ERC, contact Roger B. Hoyt, Director of Support Service, at (216) 458-8913.
