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Marietta city officials and members of the Green Sanctuary Committee of the First Unitarian Universalist Society of Marietta dedicated a solar-powered charging bench that was installed recently thanks to a DuPont Clear into the Future grant, which funds public sustainability projects.
The grant also funded the pollinator plot across the Muskingum River on a steep, eroding bank that is prone to flooding.
The committee applied for the grant, and with the support and encouragement of city officials, installed it along the River Trail behind the Marietta Armory adjacent to a bike repair station.
"Each time I walk by, I see someone using it," said Steve Wetz, Safety-Service director for the city.
The committee hopes the bench will be useful to pedestrians, cyclists, residents and tourists, and that it will demonstrate the usefulness and efficacy of small-scale solar arrays.
The bench has two USB ports and two surface charging units, and its battery collects and maintains sufficient energy from sunshine to recharge cell phones and tablets even at night and during power outages. The bench also has a display case which the committee is using to provide information on upcoming community events, especially those with environmental or social justice themes.
The bench is free to use, but bring a USB cable--unless your phone can charge from a surface charger. While the device is charging, to look across the Muskingum River to admire the pollinator plot.
It looks better in the summer months than it does now, but it is still doing a good job of holding soil, feeding birds the dried seeds its flowers produced, and providing winter habitat for local fauna--including pollinators.