Franciscan Earth Literacy Center (FELC)

Although the FELC was officially founded in 1994, its origins date back to 1992, when the Sisters of St. Francis adopted a Directional Statement committing the Congregation to live out the Franciscan vision of living in harmony with creation by creating a model of sustainable community on their property. To help them become better stewards of their land and resources, the Sisters hired Father Al Fritsch of Appalachia Science in the Public Interest to conduct an environmental resource audit. In 1993, the community formed a task force, called the Resource Audit Committee, to develop a Ten Year Plan based on the results of the environmental audit. The Plan, which originally consisted of twelve major areas in need of attention, was approved by the Congregation in 1994, and an office of Earth Literacy was established to help implement this plan. The Plan’s focus areas were subsequently limited to five: Spirituality, Land Resources, Wildlife Resources, Energy Resources, and Environmental Education. Seeking to provide hands-on environmental education programs, the Sisters decided to establish an Earth Literacy Center that would also serve as a model of sustainable resource use and permaculture design. Using permaculture principles to renovate the old dairy barn, the Sisters built an ecologically and economically sound structure to house the Earth Literacy Center. Both the building process and the completed structure itself were meant to demonstrate sustainability. In 1998, the FELC received the State of Ohio award for the most innovative use of recycled products in a building project.