

Harrisburg City Council Vice President Sandra R. Reid characterized it as “one of the most unusual endeavors we’ve ever seen.”She was talking about an innovative initiative launched this year by Widener Law Harrisburg Distinguished Professor John C. Dernbach and several students from his “Sustainability Law and Practice” class. The project got its first public airing last week in the City Council Chamber in the Martin Luther King Jr. Government Center.Drawing on the legal research and ordinance-drafting skills they’ve been learning in class, six Widener Law students presented proposed sustainability ordinances. These proposals focused on recycling, composting, storm water management, permeable paving, sustainable building materials and food trucks. Student participants included Pia Aklian, Matthew Fine, Myer Messinger, Travis Petty, Kayla Rosencrans and Mark Wendaur.In addition to Reid, the audience for the student presentations included Mayor Eric Papenfuse, Councilwoman Susan Brown-Wilson, City Solicitor Neil Grover, Deputy City Solicitor Douglas L. Walmer ‘02, City Engineer Wayne S. Martin ‘08, and City Recycling Coordinator John Rarig.“Our students did a great job tonight,” said Dernbach, who also co-directs Widener’s Environmental Law Center. “We made a contribution to a much-needed conversation about sustainability in Harrisburg.”The students individually summarized their proposed ordinances and gave broad pitches for why the city should be interested in the changes. They cited benefits including cost cutting, waste reduction, environmental improvement, job creation, improved quality of life and a healthier environment. Several appealed to the city officials to act as leaders in making Harrisburg a model of sustainability.“Environmental protection, economic development and social well-being can work together,” Dernbach said. “If we weave them together, we can achieve higher quality of life and make the City more attractive and livable for new and existing residents.”Papenfuse was effusive in his praise not only of the students’ performance but of the substance of the changes for which they were asking.“This is a wonderful idea to incorporate what you are learning in class in such a real world way. You now have the ears of the city’s movers and shakers.”Martin, the city’s engineer, said he studied under Dernbach in law school. He drew laughs from the students when he guessed that “this wasn’t their only assignment from him in this class.” He thanked the group for “doing the work for us.”The effort has helped his students learn their craft, while providing the city with valuable legal work at no cost, Dernbach said. “This is a win-win,” he said. “Part of Widener University’s mission is to contribute to the vitality and well-being of the communities we serve. It’s a pleasure to be a part of a process that gives back, while building important and valuable skills in our students.”