Chestnut Hill Hospital sponsors four lectures on sustainable living and habitat

Join Friends of the Wissahickon (FOW) on March 19 for the first program in its next Valley Talks series on current sustainable environmental-related topics. The popular programs are held on Tuesdays at 6 p.m. at Valley Green Inn. Subsequent talks will be held on April 16, May 14, and June 11. Valley Talks are sponsored by Chestnut Hill Hospital.

 

Social Architecture for Resilient and Sustainable Communities

Jerome Shabazz, Overbrook Environmental Educational Center

March 19

Philadelphia is the sixth largest city in the U.S., with a racially and ethnically diverse population, but 23.6 percent of residents rate their health as poor or fair, according to the city’s health department. Those with the poorest health disparities can be tracked by race, ethnic background, and zip code. Join Jerome Shabazz, executive director at the Overbrook Environmental Education Center, to learn about its work to demonstrate strategies that promote healthier, more resilient communities in Philadelphia’s vulnerable neighborhoods, with the use of sustainable practices.

In 1998, Shabazz founded JASTECH (Juveniles Active in Science and Technology) Development Services, Inc., to promote environmental justice, encourage sustainable design, and foster public health in urban communities. In 2002, JASTECH applied for and received a U.S. EPA grant under the Clean Water Act to establish the Overbrook Environmental Education Center. Under Shabazz’s direction, the community-based organization has become nationally known for its environmental justice and project-based learning programs that have educated thousands of students about topics that reduce human exposure to toxic substances at home and school.