UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State students have researched and recommended sustainable solutions to address the needs of the University and surrounding area throughout the fall semester. The Campus and Community Sustainability Expo will highlight the students’ work from 5 to 7 p.m. Dec. 3, at the Land and Water Research Building on the University Park campus.
This end-of-semester event will feature projects from the Sustainable Communities Collaborative and Sustainable Food Systems Program. Topics will include food systems, natural resources, human resources, public safety and the built environment. There will be multiple projects regarding the design and safety of the Atherton Street corridor for pedestrians, bikers and motorists.
The poster expo event will feature dozens of projects completed by over 220 Penn State students. A “sustainability passport” will guide participants as they travel to each project and hear directly from the students involved. A drawing will be held at the end of the evening to select prize winners from among those who visit the greatest number of student projects. This event is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served.
“This expo is a celebration of our shared stewardship of this community,” according to Sustainability Communities Collaborative director Michele Halsell.
“We hope that visitors to the expo will be inspired by the work that is being done by our students and faculty to enhance quality of life in the region and will come away with a sense of renewed hopefulness for the future.”
Community partners for the projects include the Borough of State College, Ferguson Township, Centre County Conservation Corps, Spring Creek Watershed Association, Discovery Space and area farmers.
Speakers will include Craig Weidemann, vice president for Outreach, Leslie Pillen, sustainable student farm design coordinator, Tom Fountaine, State College borough manager, and representatives of the Discovery Space and the Spring Creek Watershed Association.
The Sustainable Communities Collaborative is a program of Penn State’s Sustainability Institute. The program matches sustainability needs of community partners with the expertise of existing University courses. Collaborative teams of faculty, students and local leaders work together to define and carry out projects.
The Sustainable Food Systems Program is an interdisciplinary initiative working to develop a food systems minor and a campus-based farm that will support engaged scholarship and innovation across a range of sustainability topics, such as production, design, nutrition, marketing and community engagement.
For more details, contact Michele Halsell, mwh16@psu.edu, 814-867-4578. For more about sustainability efforts at Penn State, visit sustainability.psu.edu.