| Overall Rating | Bronze - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 40.97 |
| Liaison | Sherri Mason |
| Submission Date | June 30, 2020 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
Penn State Erie, The Behrend College
PA-2: Sustainability Planning
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
1.25 / 4.00 |
Sherri
Mason Director of Sustainability School of Science |
Does the institution have a published strategic plan or equivalent guiding document that includes sustainability at a high level? :
A brief description of how the institution’s strategic plan or equivalent guiding document addresses sustainability:
Penn State Behrend’s initiatives have begun to establish a vibrant culture of sustainability. These initiatives have focused on the University’s sustainability values of expanding the land-grant mission, creating global citizens, fostering good stewardship and good business, and embracing the living laboratory concept. The college’s sustainability plan is intended to bring relevant initiatives together in a strategic way to introduce long-lasting change and promote a sustainable culture on campus. It will provide institutional memory and efforts that generate lasting results. This plan embraces a joint commitment from students, faculty members, staff members, and local residents to design, implement, adapt and teach new approaches to address issues of equity, economy, and ecology—the three pillars of sustainability.
A copy of the strategic plan:
The website URL where the strategic plan is publicly available:
Does the institution have a published sustainability plan (apart from what is reported above)? :
A copy of the sustainability plan:
The website URL where the sustainability plan is publicly available:
Does the institution have a published climate action plan (apart from what is reported above)? :
A copy of the climate action plan:
The website URL where the climate action plan is publicly available:
Does the institution have other published plans that address sustainability or include measurable sustainability objectives (e.g. campus master plan, physical campus plan, diversity plan, human resources plan)? :
A list of other published plans that address sustainability, including public website URLs (if available):
Wintergreen Gorge Sustainability Master Plan
Taken together, do the plan(s) reported above include measurable sustainability objectives that address Curriculum?:
A list or sample of the measurable sustainability objectives that address Curriculum and the published plans in which each objective is included:
Strategy 8D: Teaching and Learning: Integrate sustainability concepts further into curricula.
Action Item 1: Offer the sustainability foundation course every semester and the sustainability minor beginning fall 2014.
Action Item 2: Develop and oversee academic capstone projects.
Action Item 3: Promote University Park sustainability professional development webinars to faculty and staff members.
Action Item 4: Highlight faculty initiatives in newsletters and other promotional materials.
Action Item 5: Promote and increase sustainability topics in existing college courses (48 to date) and newly created sustainability-related courses.
Action Item 6: Support the School of Humanities and Social Sciences’ environmental writer speaker program and Earth’s Eye Writing Festival.
Taken together, do the plan(s) reported above include measurable sustainability objectives that address Research?:
A list or sample of the measurable sustainability objectives that address Research and the published plans in which each objective is included:
Strategy 8C: Increase campus and community awareness of and engagement in sustainability issues.
Action Item 5: Publicize and expand research.
Taken together, do the plan(s) reported above include measurable sustainability objectives that address Campus Engagement?:
A list or sample of the measurable sustainability objectives that address Campus Engagement and the published plans in which each objective is included:
Strategy 8C: Increase campus and community awareness of and engagement in sustainability issues.
Taken together, do the plan(s) reported above include measurable sustainability objectives that address Public Engagement?:
A list or sample of the measurable sustainability objectives that address Public Engagement and the published plans in which each objective is included:
Strategy 8C: Increase campus and community awareness of and engagement in sustainability issues.
Action Item 1: Document and detail steps and strategies to serve as Best Management Practice materials for multi-campus use.
Action Item 2: Create and air, via Penn State Behrend radio station, sustainability public service announcements, with the help of the students in the Sustainability 200 course.
Action Item 3: Connect students to local and University sustainability options through the Greener Behrend website and Green Minutes (including topics such as energy savings and usage, electronics, and chemicals in hygienic /cosmetic products).
Action Item 4: Create interactive Arboretum Map and provide student-guided walking tours of the Arboretum.
Action Item 5: Publicize and expand research.
Action Item 6: Create a sustainability incentive fund for students that reinforce the importance of sustainability as an interdisciplinary endeavor, strengthen the sustainability leadership minor, and help change the culture of sustainability on campus.
Action Item 7: Work on previously successful projects (e.g., composting, and recycling workshops, battery recycling program, trash to treasure sale, urban birds’ program) with numerous collaborators.
Taken together, do the plan(s) reported above include measurable sustainability objectives that address Air & Climate?:
A list or sample of the measurable sustainability objectives that address Air & Climate and the published plans in which each objective is included:
Taken together, do the plan(s) reported above include measurable sustainability objectives that address Buildings?:
A list or sample of the measurable sustainability objectives that address Buildings and the published plans in which each objective is included:
Taken together, do the plan(s) reported above include measurable sustainability objectives that address Energy?:
A list or sample of the measurable sustainability objectives that address Energy and the published plans in which each objective is included:
Taken together, do the plan(s) reported above include measurable sustainability objectives that address Food & Dining?:
A list or sample of the measurable sustainability objectives that address Food & Dining and the published plans in which each objective is included:
Taken together, do the plan(s) reported above include measurable sustainability objectives that address Grounds?:
A list or sample of the measurable sustainability objectives that address Grounds and the published plans in which each objective is included:
Taken together, do the plan(s) reported above include measurable sustainability objectives that address Purchasing?:
A list or sample of the measurable sustainability objectives that address Purchasing and the published plans in which each objective is included:
Taken together, do the plan(s) reported above include measurable sustainability objectives that address Transportation?:
A list or sample of the measurable sustainability objectives that address Transportation and the published plans in which each objective is included:
Taken together, do the plan(s) reported above include measurable sustainability objectives that address Waste?:
A list or sample of the measurable sustainability objectives that address Waste and the published plans in which each objective is included:
Taken together, do the plan(s) reported above include measurable sustainability objectives that address Water?:
A list or sample of the measurable sustainability objectives that address Water and the published plans in which each objective is included:
Taken together, do the plan(s) reported above include measurable sustainability objectives that address Diversity & Affordability?:
A list or sample of the measurable sustainability objectives that address Diversity & Affordability and the published plans in which each objective is included:
Transformative Strategy 3:
Expand recruiting of key student audiences and create diverse pathways to higher education that capture students otherwise “lost” to the University.
Target increases in enrollment of out-of-state, international, honors, first-choice, transfer, and female student populations, while also pursuing additional transfer and articulation agreements at the college and high school levels.
Implement a high school career pathway initiative featuring three technical/academic tracks–healthcare, technology, and business—and a series of interconnected, theme-based, stackable modules that include non-credit and credit coursework.
Transformative Strategy 4:
Lead a coordinated effort to retain more students from targeted populations enrolled at the college and within the university’s western campuses.
Partner with the University’s western campuses on retention of students within this subset of campuses, particularly, those who may be lost to the University in the 2 +2 transition.
Enhance strategies that retain a greater number of students in Behrend majors, increase retention of the college’s growing international student population, and identify and assist students at risk of leaving the college.
Taken together, do the plan(s) reported above include measurable sustainability objectives that address Investment & Finance?:
A list or sample of the measurable sustainability objectives that address Investment & Finance and the published plans in which each objective is included:
Taken together, do the plan(s) reported above include measurable sustainability objectives that address Wellbeing & Work?:
A list or sample of the measurable sustainability objectives that address Wellbeing & Work and the published plans in which each objective is included:
Taken together, do the plan(s) reported above include measurable sustainability objectives that address other areas (e.g. arts and culture or technology)?:
A list or sample of the measurable sustainability objectives that address other areas and the published plans in which each objective is included:
Does the institution have a formal statement in support of sustainability endorsed by its governing body (e.g. a mission statement that specifically includes sustainability and is endorsed by the Board of Trustees)? :
The formal statement in support of sustainability:
The institution’s definition of sustainability (e.g. as included in a published statement or plan):
Is the institution an endorser or signatory of the following?:
| Yes or No | |
| The Earth Charter | No |
| The Higher Education Sustainability Initiative (HESI) | No |
| ISCN-GULF Sustainable Campus Charter | No |
| Second Nature’s Carbon Commitment (formerly known as the ACUPCC), Resilience Commitment, and/or integrated Climate Commitment | No |
| The Talloires Declaration (TD) | No |
| UN Global Compact | No |
| Other multi-dimensional sustainability commitments (please specify below) | No |
A brief description of the institution’s formal sustainability commitments, including the specific initiatives selected above:
The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.