Albright College innovating neighborhood sustainability and accessibility
Albright College is building 16 publicly available electric vehicle charging stations, converting its vehicle fleet from gas to electric and increasing accessibility for people with limited mobility throughout its campus and surrounding College Heights neighborhood.
Utilizing a pair of Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection Alternative Fuel Incentive grants and a grant from the Berks County Community Foundation’s Met Ed Sustainable Energy Fund, Albright College will build 16 electric vehicle (EV) charging stations on its Reading campus and has begun moving its vehicle fleet from gas to electric.
Each EV charging station will be able to accommodate two vehicles at a time and will be the first publicly available stations in the city.
In addition to building EV stations, Albright will be working to increase accessibility for people with limited mobility by constructing and modifying ADA-compliant/accessible curb cuts throughout the college’s campus and College Heights neighborhood, with the help of a PennDOT TASA grant.
The college’s pedestrian safety initiative follows a community needs assessment, which was conducted by Albright faculty and students in cooperation with the College Heights Community Council. Nearly 150 students and neighborhood residents participated in the assessment.
Key areas of Albright’s campus and the College Heights neighborhood experience foot traffic by college students and residents, as well as a significant number of out-oftown visitors attending athletic events, theatre performances, lectures and art exhibits throughout the year.
The project aims to enhance safety and accessibility for pedestrians and improve access between the college and neighborhood businesses.
Simultaneous to the pedestrian project, public EV charging stations are being built in collaboration with Evolution Energy Partners. Ten stations will be available along North 13th Street — a principal road in Reading’s northeast quadrant, easily accessible by routes 12, 422 and I-176.
Another six stations will be spread throughout campus. State grants will offset the total cost of new charging stations and the incremental costs of replacing five college-leased, gasoline-powered vehicles with electric vehicles. As existing vehicle lease agreements expire, the college will explore moving all of its 29-vehicle fleet to electric vehicles.
“The inclusion of energy efficient equipment and practices is consistent with Albright College’s overall commitment to environmental awareness and responsibility,” said Kera Wierzbicki, Albright’s environmental health and safety officer and chair of the college’s Committee for Sustainability and Stewardship.
An initiative of Albright President Jacquelyn S. Fetrow, Ph.D. ‘82, the Sustainability Committee initiates and supports environmental policies, actions and programs at Albright, ensuring that environmental concerns, including energy conservation, are considered in all aspects of the college’s decision-making.
The electric fleet and charging station project follows a full-college conversion to LED lighting, which reduced Albright’s carbon footprint by more than 3.4 million pounds of CO2 annually.
“Albright is a true leader in sustainability,” said Evolution Energy Partners President Chuck Hurchalla. “We are proud to partner with Albright and continue to define new and innovative ways to reduce their carbon footprint.”