| Overall Rating | Silver - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 58.76 |
| Liaison | Krista Bailey |
| Submission Date | July 29, 2011 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
Pennsylvania State University
PAE-3: Physical Campus Plan
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
4.00 / 4.00 |
Does the institution's physical campus plan include sustainability at a high level?:
A brief description of how the physical campus plan or amendment includes sustainability:
Penn State University consists of 19 campus locations across Pennsylvania with the 7,200 acre University Park campus being the largest. A Campus Master Plan was developed for University Park in 1999 and additional master plans for other campus locations have been developed and continue to be developed.
The comments below address how sustainability was integrated into the University Park Campus Master Plan. The following goals speak directly to the university's inclusion of sustainability in our physical campus planning at a high level:
"1.3.3 Protection and Extension of Open Space Quality
While the core campus has historically been identified with an attractive and memorable landscape of broad lawns and mature shade trees, the perimeter areas of the campus lack these same placemaking characteristics. There is a need to improve the overall image of the campus by expanding the orderly open space structure of the core campus to include the campus perimeter areas.
1.3.4 Response to Environmental Constraints
Given the increasing pressures of continued growth on the local environment, it is important that the University plan its facilities in a manner that responds appropriately to the need to protect the quality of surface waters, the University well system, and the natural environment."
Much of the above is being accomplished through the designation of Environmentally Sensitive Areas that include groundwater recharge areas, natural heritage areas, and green space. We have mapped these areas and they are shown here: http://www.opp.psu.edu/about-opp/divisions/cpd/images/s-5-3%20Environ-1.pdf
The year the physical campus plan was developed or adopted:
The website URL where the physical campus plan is available:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
In 2010, the Office of Physical Plant's Campus Planning and Design is updating the Guiding Principles for Campus Master Planning to include sustainability as an integrated priority through-out all principles as well as a stand-alone principle. More information on the current status of this effort can be obtained at the link provided above and/or by contacting the Penn State Office of Physical Plant's Campus Planning and Design office.
Penn State has 800 acres designated as environmental resources; this is not an amendment, but part of the plan.
In 2010, the Office of Physical Plant's Campus Planning and Design is updating the Guiding Principles for Campus Master Planning to include sustainability as an integrated priority through-out all principles as well as a stand-alone principle. More information on the current status of this effort can be obtained at the link provided above and/or by contacting the Penn State Office of Physical Plant's Campus Planning and Design office.
Penn State has 800 acres designated as environmental resources; this is not an amendment, but part of the plan.
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.