April 2016
Sustainability in the College of the Liberal Arts
April 2016
Upcoming Events
Get ready for Earth Week 2016 at Penn State! Activities and events are scheduled at not only University Park, but across the state at many of Penn State's campuses. Take part in the festivities that celebrate the treasures of our Earth and how we care for our planet.
The Sustainable Communities Collaborative will host the Spring 2016 Campus and Community Sustainability Expo on Monday, April 25, from 5 pm to 7 pm, at the State College Borough Building, 243 S. Allen Street. The expo will feature more than 20 projects undertaken by Penn State students on behalf of State College Borough, Ferguson Township, Foxdale Village, The Nature Inn, Friends & Farmers Co-op, Minitab, New Leaf, PSU Transportation Services, and PSU’s Arts Council. In addition, Green Teams at Penn State will showcase projects that they have implemented to advance sustainability at the university.
Sustainability News
Students advocate for a clean environment by volunteering to pick up trash
Penn State students are advocating for clean air and a clean environment by volunteering to pick up trash and cigarette butts across campus in honor of Earth Week. The tobacco and trash clean up will take place onWednesday, April 13.
We want news about your Green Teams! - Please send any updates to Bryan McDonald at blm26@psu.edu
March 2016
Sustainability in the College of the Liberal Arts
March 2016
Upcoming Events
Renewable energy expert to speak March 3 at Penn State
Elizabeth Wilson, professor of energy and environmental policy and law at the Humphrey School of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota, will speak on “How Renewable Energy Really Gets on the Power Grid (or Doesn't)" from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 3, in room 114 of the Lewis Katz Building on Penn State’s University Park campus.
"Arctic Rhythms" Paul D. Miller (aka DJ Spooky) on March 23
Experience the polar regions as never before through the eclectic artistry of composer, author, musician, and 2014 National Geographic Emerging Explorer Paul D. Miller (aka DJ Spooky) on Wednesday, March 23, 2016 - 7:30pm to 8:30pm in Eisenhower Auditorium.
Sustainability News
Request a Deskside Composting Bucket
When using the right tools, compost can be easy especially in the office. Penn State's waste management program, möbius, has just the tool for you: a desk-side compost bucket. These desk-side compost buckets can be requested at http://sustainability.psu.edu/webform/special-recycling-requests.
In polarized political climate, Penn State study finds common ground
In the midst of the 2016 presidential election season, headlines often tell the story of a polarized political climate in America. However, a recent national survey conducted by Penn State researchers found overwhelming bipartisan support for parks and recreation.
February 2016
Sustainability in the College of the Liberal Arts
February 2016
Upcoming Events
Wednesday, February 3rd and 4th, 2016 - 7:00pm to 9:30pm
Penn State's Sustainability Institute and Center for Global Studies are co-sponsoring free screenings of This Changes Everything. Filmed over 211 shooting days in nine countries and five continents, the film shows viewers how communities across the globe are tackling the challenge of climate change. From Montana's Powder River basin and the Alberta Tar Sands to the streets of Beijing and Greece, activists, scientists, and author Naomi Klein challenge us to reimagine and reinvent the economic system that has brought about disruptive climate change.
Friday, February 12, 2016 - 7:30am to 9:00am
On Friday, Feb 12th, join CentreBike, the Penn State Sustainability Institute, Active Lions, and your fellow cyclists for International Winter Bike to Work Day!
Meet us at the Old Main steps at 7:45 a.m. on Friday, Feb. 12 — we’ll have hot coffee and take a group photo at 7:55 a.m.. Active Lions will be on-hand with free giveaways. Can we beat last year’s attendance of 30 cyclists?
Thursday, Feb. 25 from 11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m
Looking for activity ideas for your Green Team? Join
the Sustainability Institute
on Thursday, Feb. 25 from 11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m. in 233A+B HUB-Robeson Center for a Brown Bag lunch to hear some of your fellow Green Team leaders present their successful events, followed by a brainstorming session on activities. Featured successes include Smeal's health workshop, Outreach's speaker series and COMMunity's "freeshop."
Sustainability News
“Is this really trash?”
This was the question posed by the HUB Green Team at a recent event held at the HUB-Robeson Center’s food court. With help from Penn State’s Sustainability Institute, the HUB Green Team collected 32 bags of trash from the food court area during peak lunch hours. The intent was to determine how much of the waste in the trash bins could be recycled or composted — and where to make improvements in the waste management setup.
We want news about your Green Teams! - Please send any updates to Bryan McDonald at blm26@psu.edu
January 2016
Sustainability in the College of the Liberal Arts
January 2016
Upcoming Events
Thursday, January 21st, 2016. 11:15 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. 012 Katz.
The School of International Affairs and the Center for Global Studies sponsors "Climate Change: Current Policy Challenge" a presentation by Dr. Richard Alley, Penn State. Open to the public and admission is free.
Wednesday, February 3, 2016 - 7:00pm to 9:30pm
Penn State's Sustainability Institute and Center for Global Studies are co-sponsoring free screenings of This Changes Everything. Filmed over 211 shooting days in nine countries and five continents, the film shows viewers how communities across the globe are tackling the challenge of climate change. From Montana's Powder River basin and the Alberta Tar Sands to the streets of Beijing and Greece, activists, scientists, and author Naomi Klein challenge us to reimagine and reinvent the economic system that has brought about disruptive climate change.
Sustainability News
Did you know you can arrange a special recycling pickup for materials that do not fit neatly into recycling stations and require special attention? You can also request containers for items like batteries. Make a request at: http://sustainability.psu.edu/webform/special-recycling-requests
For those who enjoy wildlife, fishing, nature walks, paddle sports and other streamside activities, the College of Agricultural Sciences is giving outdoor enthusiasts a chance to parlay those interests into becoming a citizen-scientist by observing and recording environmental and ecosystem changes. The only tool needed is a pencil or smartphone.
One of the topics covered by Denice Wardrop, director of Penn State's Sustainability Institute, at a Dec. 16 public meeting of the Commission for Women, was the Sustainability Institute's Reinvention Fund. This fund encourages deeper cross-disciplinary and holistic sustainability capacity across the entire University.
We want news about your Green Teams! - Please send any updates to Bryan McDonald at blm26@psu.edu
December 2015
Sustainability in the College of the Liberal Arts
New Kensington first to achieve campus-wide Green Paws milestone
New Kensington became the first campus to successfully navigate the requirements for Level 1 certification by the Penn State Sustainability Institute’s Green Paws program.
Is buying a real Christmas tree a good thing?
The question of whether it is environmentally correct to buy a real Christmas tree has been asked repeatedly in recent years, and an expert in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences wants to lay it to rest permanently. The answer, according to Ricky Bates, associate professor of ornamental horticulture, is an emphatic, "Yes!"
Project aims to improve food security by enhancing gender aspects of ag research
Recognizing the need to improve food security and enhance the well-being of rural populations in developing countries, a new Penn State project will provide intensive training for researchers that will help them to integrate gender-related dimensions into international agricultural research.
We want news about your Green Teams! - Please send any updates to Bryan McDonald at blm26@psu.edu
November 2015
Sustainability in the College of the Liberal Arts
Free screening of 'A Place at the Table' to be held Nov. 12
The Community Food Security Club and the Student Farm Club at Penn State will host a free screening and panel discussion of the documentary "A Place at the Table" from 6:30 to 9 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 12, in 102 Thomas Building.
Shaver's Creek to undergo major expansion, renovation to better serve community
Shaver’s Creek will undergo major improvements and new construction to help serve the current demand.
Whatever happened to the drive for campus sustainability?
Penn State featured in an article in the Chronicle of HIgher Education. "Sustainability in higher ed is at such a critical point, such a threshold, and we are all collectively holding our breath," says Denice Wardrop, a professor of geography and ecology and the director of Penn State's Sustainability Institute.
We want news about your Green Teams! - Please send any updates to Bryan McDonald at blm26@psu.edu