The center is an environmental education center and demonstration facility designed to promote the appreciation of nature and encourage sustainable living practices.

The center is a space for indoor and outdoor learning experiences, we offer many “hands-on” activities so that the learning becomes part of who we are. The center is a place to meet and discuss, to meditate, and to act upon ideas to work together and learn how to live well on the earth.

The center founded in 1994, is an outreach mission of the Sisters of St. Francis of Penance and Charity.

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The Sisters of Saint Francis, Tiffin OH, own 500 acres on the south side of Tiffin. The FELC sits at the edge of their farm fields with approximately 385 acres of their land farmed conventionally with corn, wheat & soybeans.

As you approach the Sisters property from St. Francis Ave., you will notice splashes of colors amongst the green of the expansive lawn. These are areas of meadows & prairies, which are replacing the large grass lawn with low maintenance and wildflower friendly grasses and forbes. During the summer these areas are filled with flowers, which attract many species of butterflies.

As you venture beyond the main convent building you will encounter two garden areas. The herb and flower garden is completely handicapped accessible. The 1/8-acre garden is planted with a great variety of plants. Several species of culinary and medicinal herbs occupy sections of the garden that are just waiting for you to enjoy their fragrant aroma. Throughout the summer season every color of the rainbow can be found upon the many flowers, which adorn the path. Butterflies flutter across the garden sipping nectar from the waiting flowers.

Down a gentle slope to the east of the herb & flower garden is the vegetable garden. Stretching out to 1-_ acres in size, it provides a bounty of food for the sisters kitchen. All of the food from this organic garden is utilized either fresh on the dinner table, canned or frozen. By setting aside portions of the garden, rotating crops and providing tender loving care this garden continues to provide wholesome food year after year.

Currently a children’s garden is being developed next to the Franciscan Earth Literacy Center.

The FELC building is a model of sustainable development. Inside the building there is an exhibit explaining how permaculture design was the driving force behind the renovation of the building.

Venturing beyond the FELC building will lead you past the buildings of the campus and into nature’s realm. As the paved road heads south for another mile before ending at the house occupied by the family that farms the property for the sisters. Along the way a grass pathway leads down to the wetlands. These two wetlands are one of the best places on the property to bird watch. Throughout the year many birds utilize the cattails, willows, cottonwoods, berry patches and other plants for food and protection. A visit during a wet season can also find ducks, geese, and other waterfowl floating about or nesting. The wetland to your right as you come down the trail has a short boardwalk ending in a platform with a bench. Enjoy some quite time there before you head back to the paved road.

Approximately _ mile after the wetland trail a gravel parking area to right will beckon you towards the woodland trail. A short distance into the woods the trail will go either to your left or right, taking you on a loop back to where you started from. There is also an extension at the farthest point of the loop. As you walk the approximately 1/3 mile trail, listen for the squirrels chattering from the oak, hickory, and walnut trees. Look carefully for the silent owls which nest in surrounding trees. Carefully turn over a log to discover the thousands of animals that are turning it into rich soil. During early spring, you can stop to smell and admire the wildflowers that carpet the ground.

Connecting many of these areas are fencerows that allow the smaller animals to move from one area to another in safety. As you walk along these fencerows, look above you in the skies for the predators that the smaller animals are hiding from. Several varieties of hawks, and Bald Eagles are common sighting in the skies above.

All of the areas mentioned above are utilized for the educational programs that we offer.

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Permaculture design was the design choice for renovation of the dairy barn. Permaculture design is the conscious design of “cultivated” ecosystems that have the diversity, stability, and resilience of natural ecosystems. It is a harmonious integration of people into the landscape in such a way that the land and wildlife grows in richness, productivity and aesthetic beauty.

Permaculture is an ethical design system for creating human environments that are ecologically sound and economically viable. Permaculture systems provide for their own needs. These systems do not exploit or pollute, and are therefore sustainable.

The philosophy behind the permaculture movement is one of working with, rather than against nature, and of living in harmony with the natural world.

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The concept of a Passive Energy System simply means using the least amount of technological and mechanical systems to perform the same activities that can be accomplished by using natural systems. The natural systems that are in place at the center are solar, wind, and water.

The typical commercial greenhouse takes a lot of mechanical energy for heating and cooling. Large fans that are noisy in the heat of summer move the hot air out. In colder seasons greenhouses in the northern part of the United States rely on fossil fuels to keep them regulated.

To reduce the use of mechanical systems and reduce the use of fossil fuels to heat the greenhouse, we looked at how the sun and wind energy could assist us with these problems.

The center faces almost perfect south and therefore can make use of the sun’s energy. While almost 60% of the days in a year are partly cloudy to cloudy in northwest Ohio, using passive solar techniques can reduce the use of high mechanical and energy systems.

We pay attention to the sun’s position throughout the year to determine the design of the greenhouse, especially the roof. Typically most greenhouse roofs are all made of some sort of light penetrating material. As you can see in the design, this is not necessary. Notice the position of the sun on June 21, the first day of summer. See how it is directly overhead. This time of year is also the warmest and therefore it is not necessary to have the roof completely made of light penetrating material. It will only cause a lot more heat than is necessary.

Other designs that assist with capturing the sun’s energy and warmth in this design include:

• Painting ceilings and walls white, thus reflecting light even on cloudy days;
• Using dark barrels with water. These capture the sun's heat and they act as a water bottle at night, leaving off heat energy.

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Greenhouse: In the greenhouse we use the air movement from the south through the windows and out of the vents in the ceiling to help cool the greenhouse in the warm seasons. Again, the vents are not equipped with mechanical motors to exhaust the air. This design was constructed so that once the structure has been working for a while, additions could be made to assist with any heating or cooling problems.

Following the first year of use, it was noted that the greenhouse, even with the use of shade cloth to block out 80% of the sun’s energy and windows and vents open, the space was still unbearable. To assist with the cooling, a large floor fan, recycled from the motherhouse chapel was placed to help move the air around and vent it out. Thanks to the gardener at the time, screen doors were made on both the east and west doors of the greenhouse. These simple technologies keep the heat down tremendously. No shade cloth was needed in 2000 to help with the reduction of heat.

Air Movement: The opportunities that wind provides is most evident in ventilation. When dealing with passive systems, ventilation is as important as collecting heat. Although overheating may be a rare occurrence in this location, stagnant air is no less of a threat to comfort level. Passive cooling can be achieved with a clear understanding of the wind patterns and a few simple forms to trap its path. Wind tends to pass through a building efficiently when the openings on one side are smaller than the other. Ordinarily one passes the wind through a structure from north to south as those are the “cooler” winds.

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Cotton Batt Insulate was used as the insulating material. Cotton batt is made from old clothing. It has the same R-value and fire retardant qualities as fiberglass. The insulation was doubled from the standard R-valud on the north and west sides and in the ceiling. This assists with the heating and cooling.

Vinyl Flooring in the center, was donated by The Roppe Corporation of Fostoria. The flooring is made from the scraps left after cutting other vinyl flooring material. It is chipped up and made into sheet vinyl flooring. A “pre-consumer” recycled product.

Carpeting in the office areas is made from recycled plastic milk jugs.

Original Rafters were reused in the office and restroom areas of the ceiling. The three rafters that were left were made into planting boxes for the greenhouse.

Concrete from the old floor in the barn was busted up and used as the patio flooring on the south side of the Center.

Radiant Floor Heat provides an even, no draft, low maintenance heating system. Tubes filled with water are embedded into the concrete floor.

Sunpipes supplement the lighting of the main area and the kitchen. Sun pipes are equivalent to a 200-watt light bulb. Only on very cloudy days is artificial lighting necessary.

Ceiling Fans and Large Vents in the ceiling of the main classroom provide an excellent source for “cooling” in the summer. A whole house-ceiling fan was installed to assist with quick cooling of the Center on very warm days.

The Franciscan Earth Literacy Center received the 1998 State of Ohio award for the most innovative use of recycled products in a building project.

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In June 1992 the Sisters of St. Francis approved a Directional Statement. This Directional Statement led the congregation to explore the future of the 500-acre property in light of environmental consciousness. The congregation decided to have an environmental resource audit performed on the property. The environmental audit was conducted by Father Al Fritsch of Appalachia Science in the Public Interest of Livingston, Kentucky.

The goal of the environmental resource audit was to assist the congregation in its efforts to become a model, reflecting the wise use and care of the buildings, land and the natural resources on the property in light of environmental sensitivity. The results were given to the congregation in the fall of 1992. By the fall of 1993 a task force was organized by the congregational leadership to develop a Seeds of Hope Farm from the environmental audit. The Resource Audit Committee consisted of people from the Tiffin community, sisters, associates, and employees.

The nine areas surveyed in the audit were: physical facilities, land resources, water resources, wildlife resources, energy resources, food preparation, waste resources, transportation, and creation spirituality. Throughout the audit there was an emphasis on environmental education both for the sisters, associates and the public at large. The entire congregation in 1994 approved the Ten Year Plan developed by the Resource Audit Committee. At that time an Earth Literacy Office was opened to help implement the Ten Year Plan.

Regardless of where we are in this “Plan”, one thing has become clear, the Sisters of St. Francis of Tiffin, Ohio, their associates and this 500 acres of property are proving to be true leaders in the environmental movement in the Tiffin community and surrounding areas. A spark has been lit and is evidenced by the many supporters, volunteers and those who come to learn with us about our relationship to the Earth. Our commitment as sisters and associates is to build:

“…a sustainable community model” on this property that will reflect “…our oneness with all creation and to challenge each other and society to reverence creation and to be in harmony with it. We commit ourselves to ongoing conversion in our use of natural resources.”
(Directional Statement, 1992)
We invite you to journey with us.

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The center is handicap accessible. Please call us at (419) 448-7485 to rent our facility.

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