Harrisburg City Council Partners with Widener Law Students on Sustainable Ordinances

Abstract

Sustainable development is an issue of increasing interest as Americans now realize the great importance and dire need of highly functional, well-planned, stable communities. Widener University School of Law-Harrisburg Professor John C. Dernbach prepares students in his Sustainability Law and Practice course for a changing world by having them look at problems as opportunities. While Professor Dernbach is distinguished in his own right, it is his students’ work that is really worth talking about this time. As part of the sustainability course, six students drafted amendments to current ordinances in the City of Harrisburg - ordinances they presented to City officials - with the hope of helping the City become a more sustainable community. This article summarizes the work of Professor Dernbach’s students and provides the proposed ordinances in full as appendices. The proposed ordinances focus on sustainable building materials, recycling, composting, stormwater and sewer management, permeable paving, and outdoor food trucks. Student participants included Kayla Rosencrans, Pia Aklian, Myer Messinger, Travis Petty, Mark Wendaur, and Matthew Fine.Sustainable development is commonly defined as “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” While not discussed in the students’ work, the practice of having law school students give back to their community epitomizes this ethos.