| Overall Rating | Silver |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 64.57 |
| Liaison | Sherri Mason |
| Submission Date | June 14, 2023 |
Penn State Erie, The Behrend College
EN-3: Student Life
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
1.75 / 2.00 |
Sherri
Mason Director of Sustainability School of Science |
Does the institution have an active student group focused on sustainability?:
Name and a brief description of the active student groups focused on sustainability:
All student groups are completely student-run. More information for each can be found at https://behrend.campuslabs.com/engage/. Names and brief descriptions of active student groups focused on sustainability are detailed below:
Greener Behrend encourages the development and implementation of strategies that further ecological sustainability within the Behrend and Erie community. h
Student Garden Club closely directs all campus garden spaces, helping the entire campus community to benefit from these gardens. Further goals of this club include educating the Behrend community about food systems, taking action on campus and in the community to tackle issues related to food systems, and helping individuals develop an appreciation for food and the culture surrounding it.
Reality Check is service driven organization dedicated to social and economic sustainability.
Circle K unites students across the Behrend campus while reaching out into the Erie community and making a difference. This is a nationally recognized organization that fosters the principles of developing leadership skills, community service, and friendship.
The purpose of the Outdoors Club is to organize outings and various recreational activities such as snow skiing, camping, hiking, canoeing, biking, and many other outdoor interests while following Leave No Trace principles.
Does the institution have a garden, farm, community supported agriculture (CSA) or fishery program, or an urban agriculture project where students are able to gain experience in organic agriculture and sustainable food systems?:
A brief description of the gardens, farms, community supported agriculture (CSA) or fishery programs, and/or urban agriculture projects:
The Sustainable Food Systems Program at Penn State, developed in 2016, stands on three legs: (1) a Food Systems Curriculum, currently in development, (2) a Student Farm that allows people with diverse backgrounds and interests to learn about where food comes from and apply their unique skills and experiences to a farm setting, and (3) an active engagement and outreach program that connects the campus community with the interests and needs of the broader community within which it resides. The program has seen great success in its infancy and recently expanded to the Penn State Behrend and Penn State Beaver campuses.
Does the institution have a student-run enterprise that includes sustainability as part of its mission statement or stated purpose?:
A brief description of the student-run enterprises:
Does the institution have a sustainable investment fund, green revolving fund, or sustainable microfinance initiative through which students can develop socially, environmentally and fiscally responsible investment and financial skills?:
A brief description of the sustainable investment funds, green revolving funds or sustainable microfinance initiatives:
Has the institution hosted a conference, speaker series, symposium, or similar event focused on sustainability during the previous three years that had students as the intended audience?:
A brief description of the conferences, speaker series, symposia, or similar events focused on sustainability:
The World Wide Teach-In is an event create by Bard College as part their Solve Climate by 2030 project. The project aims to create Climate and Justice dialogues at over 1,000 schools, universities, and communities across the globe.
In 2022, Penn State Behrend joined this Global Movement to become the local site for this event! Our inaugural World-Wide Teach-In event reached over 135 unique student attendees. Our only hiccup was that some of the Reed conference rooms were not big enough (!) for the number of attendees; a very good problem to have.
Has the institution hosted a cultural arts event, installation, or performance focused on sustainability with the previous three years that had students as the intended audience?:
A brief description of the cultural arts events, installations, or performances focused on sustainability:
Sustainability minor Julia Shields (political science, '22) created a "Trash-ion Show" display featured in one of the student cafes throughout Earth Week. The event also included a screening of "The True Cost," followed by a gorge walk and clean-up.
Does the institution have a wilderness or outdoors program that follow Leave No Trace principles?:
A brief description of the wilderness or outdoors programs that follow Leave No Trace principles:
The purpose of the Outdoors Club is to organize outings and various recreational activities such as snow skiing, camping, hiking, canoeing, biking, and many other outdoor interests while following Leave No Trace principles.
https://behrend.campuslabs.com/engage/organization/outdoors-club
Has the institution had a sustainability-focused theme chosen for a themed semester, year, or first-year experience during the previous three years?:
A brief description of the sustainability-focused themes chosen for themed semesters, years, or first-year experiences:
Throughout the AY 2019-2020, in honor of the 50th anniversary of the holiday, Behrend created the Sustainability Series, a yearlong series of events, which was to culminate with the 50th anniversary of Earth Day on April 22, 2020. Covid prevented events beyond mid-March 2020, include the final Earth Day culmination event. Nonetheless, the sustainability series was the focus of the year, with a plethora of events connecting to each of the 17 UN SDGs.
Does the institution have a program through which students can learn sustainable life skills?:
A brief description of the programs through which students can learn sustainable life skills:
Does the institution offer sustainability-focused student employment opportunities?:
A brief description of the sustainability-focused student employment opportunities offered by the institution:
Student interns are hired to work both with the Director of Sustainability and with the Sustainable Food Systems Coordinator.
Does the institution have a graduation pledge through which students pledge to consider social and environmental responsibility in future job and other decisions?:
A brief description of the graduation pledge(s):
A brief description of other co-curricular sustainability programs and initiatives that do not fall into one of the above categories:
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.