Protect PT will open environmental education center in May

Patrick Varine
Wednesday, May 4, 2022 6:01 a.m. | Wednesday, May 4, 2022 6:01 a.m.

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Tribune-Review file

Gillian Graber, a member of Promote PT, talks about her experience installing solar panels on her Trafford home, during a press conference for the announcement of Westmoreland County’s first solar co-op, inside the atrium of the Sis and Herman Dupre Science Pavilion at Saint Vincent College in Unity Township, in this file photo.

Citizen-led environmental group Protect PT will expand its presence in the Penn Township Plaza with the grand opening of a new community environmental educational center on May 7.

“We actually moved our office to the other side of the building,” Protect PT Executive Director Gillian Graber said. “We expanded from two offices and a small meeting area to occupying two suites in the same building, now with six offices and a large meeting area.”

The new community center will offer the opportunity to provide not just educational classes related to Protect PT’s mission, but also to provide a space for other local groups to meet.

“This space will be dedicated to community meetings, educational presentations and all of the work that we do,” Graber said. “We sometimes had a hard time finding a space that’s open when we need it, since we generally do programs in the evenings and on weekends.”

Graber said there are plans to host regular classes by staff and guest presenters including home resource guide workshops, radon monitoring workshops, screenings of educational films, art shows and more.

“We’re hoping to do things like community yoga classes to help people unwind,” Graber said. “So it won’t just be all about environmental health, but about personal health as well.”

Plans are also in the works to offer family-oriented classes on topics like native plant identification and recycling.

Protect PT member Ann LeCuyer of Trafford said she’s excited to see the new space opening up.

“The more people are aware of climate issues, the more they can do to protect themselves and future generations,” LeCuyer said.

Graber said the center’s focus on environmental sustainability has also extended to the building itself.

“We’ve done some upgrades to make the entire space eco-friendly,” she said. “We’re replacing all the fluorescent lights with LED bulbs, and our landlord worked with us to help put in new windows and a high-efficiency heating and cooling system.”

The grand opening for the Community Environmental Educational Center will be 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., May 7 at 3344 Route 130 (Suite B) in Penn Township’s Harrison City neighborhood. The afternoon will include a taco bar, entertainment and raffles.

For more, see ProtectPT.org/events.