Commission honors groups, individuals for sustainability efforts, practices

The Greencastle Commission on Sustainability honored two local groups and two individuals Thursday night in a ceremony at City Hall prior to the April Greencastle City Council meeting.

The Commission on Sustainability singled out The Castle and the Greencastle Department of Public Works, as well as longtime local resident Bill Marley and DePauw University student Mary Satterthwaite for their efforts to make Greencastle and Putnam County a more environmentally friendly community.

Winners of the 2017 Sustainability Awards presented by the Greencastle Commission on Sustainability in a ceremony prior to the City Council meeting Thursday night at City Hall are (from left) Best Practices winner The Castle, represented by founder and director Beth Benedix and program director Kara Jedele; Business of the Year winner the Greencastle Department of Public Works, represented by superintendent Brad Phillips; Sustainability Commission Chairman John Garner; Youth Leader of the Year winner DePauw University senior Mary Satterthwaite; and Greencastle Mayor Bill Dory. Outstanding Citizen of the Year Bill Marley was not in attendance at the ceremony. Banner Graphic/ERIC BERNSEE

The Castle is being honored for Best Practices of the Year.

The Castle partners with teachers in Putnam County schools to invigorate the curriculum through arts-integration and project-based learning. Through collaborative partnerships, teaching artists and volunteer efforts, The Castle offers free workshops in partner schools during the school day that aim to maximize the opportunity for creative problem-solving, to enhance the curriculum, to nurture self-expression, to honor varied learning styles, and to encourage essential 21st-century skills.

The Castle is its "street" name, but its official name -- the Putnam County Coalition for Education and the Creative Arts -- describes more precisely what it aims to do and who it aims to be.

Founded in 2011, The Castle aims to foster a learning community embedded within the public school system and based on the premise of reciprocal gifts. It believes learning is an organic, messy and fundamentally collaborative process and that everyone in our community is stronger when we invest in our public schools. In the midst of increasing assessment pressures, increasing class sizes, reduced funding in the arts and diminished resources overall, The Castle aims to inject a sense of play and joy back into the classroom for teachers and students.

Bill Marley is being recognized as Outstanding Citizen of the Year.

Under the direct supervision of his wife Joy, Bill Marley has overseen the funding of People Pathways since the idea originated in 1995. The Greencastle/Filmore Trail opened in 1999. From the start this has always been a leadership partnership that has benefited the community and People Pathways will be an asset for future generations.

Bill and Joy have never seen the pathways as a finished project and continue to jump at every opportunity to improve and lengthen the trail.

People Pathways has successfully developed a multi-use recreational trail plan after soliciting opinions from community members through a series of presentations and open meetings. The paths connect public spaces such as schools, parks, libraries and community resources. Walkers, joggers and cyclists use the paths. Included among them are children going to and from school, people seeking exercise and recreation and commuters.

Implementation of the People Pathways plan is being done in phases as opportunities develop. Bill Marley has been instrumental in overseeing the funding for the development and the upkeep of the trails. The vision of the Marleys has given the community a place to nurture healthy families, build bridges between neighborhoods, enhance the small-town appeal of our community and foster mental and physical health.

The Greencastle Department of Public Works is being recognized for its ongoing project on Veterans Memorial Highway, which honors local veterans.

Started in 2005 by then-superintendent Paul Wilson and continued under superintendent Brad Phillips, Veterans Highway recognizes the service and sacrifice of our veterans with 315 trees having been planted to honor and memorialize veterans of our community.

Each tree features a plaque recognizing a veteran. The highway is designated by signage, a flagpole and a large tree dedicated to all veterans. Currently, the north side of the road is complete with no room remaining for additional trees.

In the future, additional trees will be planted in coordination with the extension of People Pathways.

The Department of Public Works prepared the area by improving the storm drainage and grading in preparation for planting. Today, the city department performs all of the annual maintenance, mulching and mowing. A typical year sees the use of approximately seven tons of mulch that is generated through the department's annual leaf pick-up.

Trees are funded through donations made to the Veterans Memorial Highway Project Fund at the Putnam County Community Foundation.

Meanwhile, Mary Satterthwaite is being honored as Youth Leader of the Year.

Satterthwaite has been involved in sustainability initiatives throughout her four years at DePauw. An environmental fellow at DPU, she has served as an intern at the DePauw Campus Farm for five semesters and helped transform the space and increase community involvement.

She has also spent her summers using environmental education to change student lives, including at the Glacier Institute in Montana and the Briar Bush Nature Center in Pennsylvania. Satterthwaite is an avid cyclist and Little 5 criterion winner.

The Greencastle Commission on Sustainability meets at 5 p.m. on the second Tuesday of each month at City Hall. All meetings are open to the public.