The Keystone College Environmental Education Institute (KCEEI) will host a series of environmental workshops this winter and spring. The sessions, which are free and open to the public, will be held at the KCEEI offices at Lackawanna Hall on campus. Each session will begin at 6 p.m. and continue to approximately 7:30 p.m.

The workshops schedule is:

January 29: Energy Conservation and Sustainability Strategies. Greenfield Energy Solutions will present information on conducting a home business or school energy audit to increase energy efficiency. Participants will receive information about strategies to reduce energy costs and consumption.

February 26: Managing Storm Water, Protecting Waterways. This workshop will challenge participants to look at the infrastructure that surrounds them and discover the best practices to manage water runoff from streets, rooftops and other surfaces. Simple solutions such as the use of rain barrels and rain gardens will be explained. Participants will receive a rain barrel to use at their home or business.

March 26: Understanding and Managing Environmental Opportunities and Challenges Related to Marcellus Shale: Groundwater, Energy, and Ecosystem. This session will begin with a discussion on groundwater education followed by presentations on the opportunities and challenges related to the Marcellus Shale industry. There will be presentations from experts in various fields including the gas industry, state Department of Environmental Protection, geologist, wildlife biologists, elected officials and community members.

April 23: Preserving Green Space Through Land Trusts. This session will bring together three local land trusts: Countryside Conservancy, The North Branch Land Trust and the Edward L. Rose Conservancy of Susquehanna County. Representatives of each group will discuss what they do, the challenges they face and how the public can become involved.

May 21: How to Work with Conservation Districts to Conserve Natural Resources on Your Private Land: Participants will receive information on how to take advantage of the many free services available through local conservation districts for problems such as erosion, sedimentation control, pollution, and watershed conservation. Information will be provided on programs available to farmers, land owners, business and homeowners through local conservation districts.

For more information about any of the KCEEI Sustainability Series workshops and to register, contact Nora Dillon, 945.8555 or [email protected] For more information, visit www.kceei.keystone.edu.