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Contact: Jan Fiderio at 603.283.2107

June 1, 2010 for Immediate Release

Antioch University New England and NH Rivers Council Launch Pervious Pavement Demonstration Site

Cutting-edge system infiltrates stormwater, reduces run-off and pollution; Key adaptation measure for climate change in New England

Keene, NH - Antioch University New England (AUNE) and New Hampshire Rivers Council today unveiled a new demonstration site for pervious pavement at AUNE's campus in Keene.

Pervious pavement is an innovative stormwater management strategy that allows water from rain or snowmelt to flow through the pavement, into a stone base, and then infiltrate into the native soils below. This reduces the amount of stormwater that runs off the pavement and protects nearby surface waters from stormwater pollution. Research conducted in New Hampshire has shown pervious pavement to reduce the need for application of de-icing products by as much as 70% and to eliminate ponding on pavement.

The purpose of the demonstration site is to serve as an educational resource for AUNE students, faculty, and staff as well as local government officials, homeowners, developers, contractors and other visitors to AUNE. The site, which will provide research opportunities to AUNE faculty and students, will also offer interpretation that addresses the importance of stormwater management.

"A demonstration of this type will help educate AUNE building users and visitors about how to integrate these proven pervious pavement technologies into their own stormwater management projects and increase general awareness of stormwater and its impact on the environment and water quality," said AUNE President David Caruso. "We are pleased to be able to provide this opportunity in the Monadnock Region."

"International Panel on Climate Change scientists predict increased incidence and severity of storms in the northeast, and we are seeing those impacts materialize," said Abigail Abrash Walton, Assistant to the President for Sustainability & Social Justice, and a faculty member in AUNE's Environmental Studies Department. "We expect that AUNE's new pervious pavement will demonstrate the viability of this key adaptation measure to climate change."

"This is the second pervious pavement demonstration site for which we have received funding," said Joshua Cline, Executive Director of the New Hampshire Rivers Council. "Our intent is that by having demonstration sites in several areas of the state, the understanding of the impact of stormwater on water quality and quantity - and the techniques for mediating its effects - will become better understood and accepted by the public, contractors, engineers and local government. We look forward to partnering with Antioch University New England on workshops to explain and demonstrate these concepts."

The project is funded through a grant from the Hunt Foundation to New Hampshire Rivers Council. The Northern New England Concrete Promotion Association and Monadnock region contractors Philip Hamilton Excavating, LLC, and Carroll Concrete provided the labor and materials for the project. For more information visit AUNE's website at: www.antiochne.edu/es/eao.

About Antioch University New England (AUNE)
This is Antioch University New England's forty-sixth year as an institution of higher education. Located in Keene, New Hampshire, AUNE offers rigorous, practice-oriented, values-based master's, doctoral, and certificate programs to more than one thousand students. Degrees in education, leadership and management, environmental studies, and psychology reflect a dedication to activism, social justice, community service, and sustainability. Antioch University New England is the oldest and largest of Antioch University's graduate campuses. For more information about Antioch University New England visit our web site at: www.antiochne.edu.

About Antioch University
Antioch University, a visionary academic community composed of five campuses in four states, is uniquely capable of bringing its students' brightest ideals and highest ambitions to life. Each campus has its own distinct academic programs, community life, and regional or national identity. Antioch University is founded on principles of rigorous liberal arts education, innovative experiential learning and socially engaged citizenship. The multiple campuses of the University nurture in their students the knowledge, skills and habits of reflection to excel as lifelong learners, democratic leaders and global citizens who live lives of meaning and purpose For more information visit: www.antioch.edu.

Last Updated: 7/26/10