Come down and visit the EcoHouse property located at the end of Commonwealth Boulevard! This 1-acre plot includes a residential home in which Alvernia’s Office of Institutional Sustainability (OIS) is located, Bog Turtle Creek Farm, Outdoor Leadership and Rental Gear Program, and the hemp-based structure called The Traveler. The EcoHouse Coordinator and the associate director of sustainability, along with their team of work-study students, are based at the EcoHouse.
Students, faculty, and staff are encouraged to visit the EcoHouse and learn more about Alvernia’s sustainability initiatives, relax at one of the picnic tables or utilize the lawn, and use the comfy room inside to study or hold meetings. The EcoHouse has office and meeting space, an indoor area for seed starts, a full kitchen, a bathroom, and a back deck with a grill and seating area. It is a short walk, run, or bike ride from Alvernia’s Reading Campus using Commonwealth Boulevard or hopping on the Angelica Creek Trail located directly behind Alvernia’s stadium.
Bog Turtle Creek Farm started using the EcoHouse in 2014 to wash and prepare its produce for local farmers markets. The Sustainability team moved to the EcoHouse in 2016. In 2020, Bog Turtle Creek Farm was officially moved from its Mohton location to the EcoHouse property. It now includes a hoophouse constructed by an Alvernia alumnus and student a student work-study team.
The Office of Institutional Sustainability (OIS) is fortunate to be situated at the EcoHouse in a neighborhood surrounded by supportive neighbors. Whether offering a helping hand or sharing the history of the previous owners, the neighbors make the EcoHouse a special place to work.
The EcoHouse offers a variety of student experiential learning opportunities from which students can gain real-world experience to help equip them as emerging leaders with the mindset and skillset to tackle our communities' sustainability challenges successfully. It includes Bog Turtle Creek Farm, Outdoor Leadership and The Traveler. These opportunities help our Alvernia students fulfill their service hours, obtain work-study positions, learn new skills that help prepare them for the workforce, and provide them with research and conference opportunities.
Bog Turtle Creek Farm
Bog Turtle Creek Farm (BOG) is a student-led regenerative agriculture project that was created in response to a need to increase access to healthy, affordable food in the City of Reading. BOG plays a primary role in the City of Reading farmer’s market program, where it sells fresh, affordable produce at more than four markets to residents most in need and who often use government assistance (e.g., SNAP, FMNP). These markets currently include the Penn Street Market, Penn State Health St. Joe’s, Centro Hispano, Berks Encore, and multiple pop-up markets at elementary schools and community organizations in partnership with The Food Trust’s nutrition education program. To learn more or to sign up for a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) share, visit the Bog Turtle page.
Outdoor Leadership Program
The Outdoor Leadership Program aims to connect students to nature through outdoor activities such as kayaking, hiking, camping, and backpacking. It collaborates with the student-led (OAK) and the one-credit outdoor classes to offer various opportunities. The program’s goal is to facilitate a positive experience in nature whereby students apply a nature-centered leadership lens when approaching everyday life decisions that result in leading to a more sustainable lifestyle.
The Traveler
The Traveler is a hemp-based structure where the EcoHouse Market will be located. Campus and community members can purchase fresh produce and other local products at the EcoHouse Market while also learning about the benefits of using hemp as a sustainable alternative to traditional building materials.
