sustainability

Lean manufacturing, sustainability issues the focus of recent forum

4/23/13

The Penn State Smeal College of Business Center for the Management of Technological and Organizational Change (CMTOC) held its biannual Advanced Manufacturing Forum on April 4 to 5 at the Toftrees Golf Resort and Conference Center in State College, Pa. The spring forum focused on lean manufacturing and applying lean methodologies to sustainability, with presentations from managers with extensive experience in implementing lean and/or green practices that focus on product design, manufacturing and the supply chain.

Middle school students build small-scale wind turbines for the KidWind Challenge

Middle school students compete in 2nd Annual PA KidWind Challenge

4/11/13

Students from around the state participated in the 2nd Annual PA KidWind challenge held at Londonderry School in Harrisburg, Pa. The event is a chance to get students involved and excited about alternative energy and sustainability. On top of gaining teamwork, leadership and problem-solving skills, students learn key scientific concepts during the construction process.

Smeal welcomes TerraCycle CEO as keynote speaker on April 18

4/10/13

Tom Szaky, founder and CEO of TerraCycle and author of Revolution in a Bottle: How TerraCycle is Redefining Green Business, will be a featured speaker during Penn State’s Earth Days. TerraCycle collects trash and turns it into reusable items.

New Kensington to sponsor Composting Conference

4/5/13

Penn State New Kensington will offer a guide to starting a composting program from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday, April 15, in the campus Art Gallery.

Smeal students are entering a new era of sustainability education.

Smeal makes the business case for sustainability

3/13/13

Penn State's Smeal College of Business has created a Sustainability Strategic Plan, mirroring the University-wide plan, that outlines how the college will integrate sustainability into its core undergraduate education, transforming Smeal's present curriculum as well as decision-making for the college's operations. In other words, they will walk the talk.

Photos from SIA student's internship experience as part of a sustainable farming community in El Salvador

Native New Yorker Gloria Kim helps Salvadorans farm sustainably

3/12/13

Gloria Kim, a second-year student in the School of International Affairs at Penn State, is leveraging her interest in agricultural sustainability to help improve the lives of others. Working in El Salvador with 10 farmers and two other U.S. interns while living in an adobe home on a farm during her two-month program in the Suchitoto municipality, she immersed herself in the farming culture of the country. She was trained in a variety of permaculture techniques during her internship, including soil conservation, organic pest management, the diversification of crops, medical gardens, composting of nutrients and the uses of rainwater.

Farmers who commit totally to sell locally can make a profit

3/7/13

Farmers can make a profit selling their produce directly to local businesses, but they must not let possible new costs weaken their commitment to the new venture, according to an international team of researchers.

New 10,000 square-foot laundry facility opens at The Penn Stater

3/1/13

Penn State Laundry Services processes more than 3 million pounds of laundry a year. To accommodate tons of dirty linen, while saving on energy, labor and transportation costs, a new 10,000 square-foot, $4 million laundry facility opened Jan. 28 on the ground floor of The Penn Stater Conference Center Hotel.

members of the communications team for Penn State's EcoCAR effort.

Students share success of EcoCAR effort

2/22/13

An interdisciplinary effort by Penn State students to design and improve a working hybrid vehicle in the EcoCAR 2 Competition has been bolstered by a group of communications students who have helped raise awareness about the project.

This microbial fuel cell processes wastewater and generates an electrical current.

A microbial fuel cell developed by undergraduates processes wastewater and generates an electrical current

2/22/13

A microbial fuel cell developed by undergraduates processes wastewater and generates an electrical current.

Sustainability Institute seeks proposals for graduate research contest

2/14/13

For the second year, Penn State will participate in the 2013 Dow Sustainability Innovation Student Challenge Awards. SISCA is designed to promote forward thinking in social and environmental responsibility; while also acknowledging the energy, commitment, and enthusiasm of students and their professors who support their innovations. Graduate students and faculty from Penn State are encouraged to join an international field of universities that are involved in the program.

The life of SEED: Shipping container cuts wide berth to Kenya

2/13/13

"Now more than ever, it is time to take a stand against energy-consuming buildings, and intentionally design with future generations in mind. The library’s construction seeks to reuse materials like the shipping container and upcycled pallet wood, as well as generate its own renewable energy.

New guide promotes alternative fuel use by forest products industry

2/6/13

Alternative fuel use by the wood products industry could reduce the industry's dependence on fossil fuels and decrease its emissions.

A new resource guide created by the Pennsylvania Technical Assistance Program (PennTAP), the Penn State College of Engineering, and the Mid-Atlantic Clean Energy Applications Center (MACEAC) promotes the use of one such alternative fuel: combined heat and power (CHP). CHP, also known as cogeneration, is the simultaneous production of electricity and heat from a single fuel source -- in this case, on-site waste products such as sawdust, wood shavings or bark.

Penn State Harrisburg commemorates building's LEED certification

2/4/13

Penn State Harrisburg is leading the way for sustainable student housing statewide with its new residence hall named Building 10,000. On Feb. 6, a dedication ceremony will be held for Penn State Harrisburg's Building 10,000's LEED silver level certification, an industry benchmark for energy efficiency and high performance green design.

Selling green wine: Not just for Dr. Seuss

1/28/13

Penn State students Michael Fasano, Melissa Jones, and George Riccardo, along with fellow students, visited the winery in the hills above the Tiber Valley on Friday on a field trip for their course, The Business of Food in Italy.

The course focuses on the business of producing and exporting wine and is part of the Umbra Institute's interdisciplinary Food Studies Program.