Team Lebanon Six, Honorable Mention, Adult-Central
About Faith Mumma: I am currently an elementary art teacher for the Cocalico School District and teaches at the Adamstown Elementary School in Lancaster County. I'm an active board member for Domestic Violence Intervention of Lebanon County, an active advocate for Fair Districts, an artist, an activist, and a passionate nature lover. I live in Mt. Gretna. As a grandmother of twin girls, I am deeply concerned about the planet’s future and the impact of climate change.
About LeAnne Burchik: I'm an attorney and structured settlement consultant, helping injured people secure their financial future after an accident. I've worked in the insurance industry for more than 20 years, previously holding positions with Nationwide Insurance. I amactive in industry associations and in my community as a board member of Domestic Violence Intervention of Lebanon County, County Vice-Chair of the Lebanon County Democratic Committee, and a member of my church’s outreach committee.
About Michael Schroeder: I'm an associate professor of history at Lebanon Valley College in Annville, where I teach world history, Latin American history, a first-year experience course on "People & the Planet," and a range of other courses. I'm President of the Friends of Old Annville, President of the Quittapahilla Watershed Association, Vice President of Lebanon Pipeline Awareness, and founder and Executive Director of the Quittapahilla Creek Garbage Museum, winner of the 2017 Governor's Award for Environmental Excellence.
About Phil Stober: Prior to launching Bare Foot Organics @ Greystone Farm, I worked with MarComm Partners LLC, a boutique sports marketing company, headquartered in New York City. There, I developed & managed a number of sponsorship, merchandising & marketing programs for a variety of Fortune 500 companies.
About Lois Herr: An experienced problem-solver, I spent 26 years in telecommunications management and 10 in college administration and teaching. Owning and managing a farm plus considerable time in politics added to my experience, which was further augmented by time as chair of the Lancaster County Planning Commission, appointment to the State Board of Barber Examiners, and current service on the Mt. Gretna Borough Council. I have published three nonfiction books and have been recognized by Lancaster County as a Smart Growth Visionary.
About Susan Wood: For 20 years, I worked with hospital nurses to improve work life and quality of care. One project involved four emergency departments in North
Carolina, another 11 rural hospitals in PA. I hold an M.S. degree in Human Resource Development from American University and a B.S. from the University of Minnesota. Earlier, I taught school in Guatemala and worked on people & technology projects with Accenture and CIGNA. A resident of Mount Gretna, I love serving on the board of Gretna Music and raise funds for Lebanon Family Health Services. I'm the Lebanon County coordinator for Fair Districts PA.
Judges' statement
Susan Wood and her team, Phillip Stober, Lois Herr, LeAnne Burchik, Faith Mumma, Michael Schroeder, tried something distinctive and
intriguing with their map – to see if they could create districts that would reflect a link between natural regions and legislative districts and empower environmental communities of interest. They structured their districts by environmental factors that would, as they wrote in their Personal Statement, enhance Pennsylvania’s ability to live up to the promise of Article 1, Section 27 of the Pennsylvania Constitution, commonly known as the “Environmental Rights Amendment.”
Personal statement
Article I, Section 27 of the Pennsylvania Constitution states: The people have a right to clean air, pure water, and to the preservation of the natural, scenic, historic and esthetic values of the environment. Pennsylvania's public natural resources are the common property of all the people, including generations yet to come. As trustee of these resources, the Commonwealth shall conserve and maintain them for the benefit of all the people.
We want well-drawn congressional districts to address climate change and the environment. The values we chose are competitive elections, compactness and communities of interest. Our map meets mapping criteria in a way that empowers environmental “communities of interest.” High contiguity, competitiveness and compactness are strong. Voters can work together to propel change.
Three statewide threats concern us:
1. Water/Air quality. Water pollution threatens a vital resource. Major watersheds are endangered.
2. Energy Impacts. Unsustainable, unsafe, and unhealthy energy infrastructure.
3. Land use decisions without consideration of the environment have long term consequences for quality of life and food production.
Promise of improvement lies in:
1. The PA Climate Action Plan calling for 80 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, from 2005 levels will help drive change. This plan is supported in concept by our youth and citizens aware of the problems.
2. Energy alternatives. Proposals at the state level to encourage clean energy production: wind, hydroponic, solar.
3. Preservation and conservation of PA's natural resources are supported but will need more vocal champions to advocate and vote for the people's rights as defined in Article I, Section 27. The increasing influence of younger Pennsylvanians concerned about this can be reflected in decisions as they become involved in government and are elected to positions of power.
We structured districts by environmental factors to enhance Pennsylvania's ability to live up to the promise of Article 1, Section 27.
We are six Lebanon County residents, including two pipeline opponents; a history professor at Lebanon Valley College who's also founder of the award-winning Quittapahilla Creek Garbage Museum; one elected public official, and one candidate for township supervisor who didn't win. We had a robust dialogue about map design in the interest of better government in PA.
