Amara Geffen

Amara Geffen is a professor of art as well as director of the College's Center for Economic and Environmental Development (CEED), an economic and environmental development effort between Allegheny and local and regional partners. Here she talks of the need to bring to Meadville new industry that will function without creating pollution.

We believe economics and the environment go together. The primary goal for CEED is to create collaboration among faculty, students, and the community to find solutions for regional environmental problems.

From its founding in 1997, CEED has focused on economic and environmental development to create a sustainable economic community in Meadville and Crawford County. We want to make sure that what we do is environmentally, socially, and economically sound, building upon "the threelegged stool of sustainability."

In the 1980s Meadville lost two major industries—Avtex and Talon Zipper—and their loss had enormous economic and social impact on the community. Thousands of jobs disappeared almost overnight, and Avtex left behind the state's first Superfund site. Meadville has been trying to recover from these losses ever since.

Over the last two years CEED has been working with county-wide economic development agencies on programs that will place the environment at the heart of regional and local economic development efforts. These plans aim to improve the business and entrepreneurial culture within Meadville and Crawford County, with special emphasis on clean technologies. Locally, CEED is collaborating with Meadville's Redevelopment Authority on plans for neighborhood revitalization and developments along Mill Run, an historical stream that runs through the city of Meadville.