Students Ply Paintbrushes as Advocates for 'Green' Living

Published 09.27.2012

News
Architecture & Sustainable Design
Construction & Architecture

Penn College students clearly have a hand in sustainable communities.'Green' mural artfully adds to national dialogue.Students in Penn College's School of Construction and Design Technologies created murals to commemorate the first Green Apple Day of Service, a Sept. 29 event that champions "healthy, sustainable schools" through community involvement. As a project for Naim N. Jabbour's Sustainability and Living Green class, the students – a number of whom are enrolled in the college's four-year building science and sustainable design major – went well beyond green in colorful observance of the occasion. One of the paintings depicts an apple-shaped globe, "signed" with the handprints of Jabbour, an architectural technology instructor, and 11 students: Kendel F. Baier, Jersey Shore; Kianna L. Funk, Hershey; Matthew J. Glodowski, Moorestown, N.J.; Reece A. Gonsar, Halifax; Nicholas A. Marshall, Danville; Anthony J. Reed, Flinton; Andrew A. Shockey, Middleburg; Levi P. Speicher, Manns Choice; Kevin F. Strupp, Palmyra; Corey E. Teeple, Lake Ariel; and Cody J. Wood, Berwick. A larger piece encompasses environmentally responsible practices such as mass transit, bicycling, renewable energy, recycling and high-efficiency lighting. The day of service is organized by the U.S. Green Building Council's Center for Green Schools, which this week applauded the artwork through Facebook, Twitter and other social media. Jabbour, who said his students were "excited and enthusiastic" about participation, is a national USGBC chair, overseeing students within the organization's Region 11 (Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware). The paintings are displayed near the architectural technology labs on the second floor of the Hager Lifelong Education Center.