In Homewood, we worked alongside Dr. John Wallace (Pitt's School of Social Work) and Dr. Stephanie Boddie (Baylor University, University of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon University), to determine the best plan to (1) build an Off-Grid DC Laboratory on the land adjacent to a triplex home and (2), converting the triplex structure to AC/DC power. Through the Business of Humanity® course (The Business of Humanity®: Strategic Management in the Era of Globalization, Innovation and Shared Value), the students’ work has been focused on projects in both Homewood and Gujarat, India.
One of the students who took part in Dr. Camillus’s course, Dean Rosenwald, formed a company with fellow Pitt students and Alumni. SolarCell LLC is a startup company founded by four University of Pittsburgh graduates: Chief Executive Officer Emmanuel Taylor, who has a PhD in electrical engineering; Chief Operating Officer Nick Scangas, who has an MBA and MS in Engineering; Chief Communications Officer Dean Rosenwald, who has an MBA, a Master in International Business, and bachelor’s degrees in business administration and psychology; and Marketing Director Jai Kumar, who has a bachelor’s degree in neuroscience. We were proud to support them as they launched their company by focusing on the electrical design of the greenhouse and triplex in Homewood.
The Homewood projects support the efforts of The Oasis Project in Homewood. Led by the Bible Center Church, the Oasis Farm, a key initiative of The Oasis Project, strives to address the shortage of healthy food in Homewood as a means of empowering its residents and spurring positive change in the community. The church, which is led by Dr. John Wallace (who is also their Senior pastor), made available the land on which the Off-Grid DC Laboratory was built and the adjacent triplex that will be retrofitted with AC/DC power. He also manages the social enterprise projects linked with the food grown in the Off-grid DC Laboratory. SolarCell LLC researched and provided designs for the proprietary Off-Grid DC Laboratory system, complete with the electrical components.
The DC HEaRT initiative assisted the Oasis Farm in their efforts to carry out a range of food-related social enterprises: a community kitchen, a mobile food truck, community food market, culinary training, catering services, and food delivery services. The efforts will create jobs and professional development opportunities for Homewood residents. On a broader level, they will improve the health of Homewood’s children, seniors, and the larger community, and will reduce the socioeconomic stigma associated with Homewood.
Please remember to visit this site again as we track the progress of the initiatives in Homewood!