Penn State has begun to develop a university-wide sustainability plan — and it wants your input.
The plan’s overall goal, according to an online report, is ‘make all Penn State practices sustainable, from the office to the classroom, from the research lab to the residence hall, from the campus to society. …
‘In short, Penn State will become a living laboratory of sustainable ideas and behaviors that will help transform how we teach, research and share knowledge, to improve the lives of the people of Pennsylvania, the United States and the world,’ the report goes on. It’s posted on Penn State Live, the university’s official news site.
Development of the plan will incorporate input from Penn State students, employees, alumni, corporate partners and other members of the public, the report says.
The Penn State Sustainability Council will draft the plan. The council defines ‘sustainability’ in the environmental sense, but also with substantial consideration for ‘economic well-being, human health and prosperity, and environmental quality in a manner that balances the needs of present and future generations,’ the university reported.
Among the potential goals under consideration for the plan: establishing in Penn State graduates a deep understanding of sustainability; engagement of the university community in lessons about sustainability; creation of a living laboratory for global sustainability; and the advancement of sustainability within the larger society.
The university has encouraged people to send their best sustainability-plan ideas via to e-mail to sustainablestate@psu.edu or to share them via Facebook. An ongoing set of Facebook notes related to the plan is posted via the university’s official Facebook page.
Organizers have asked that ideas be submitted by Oct. 16. Watch for additional coverage on StateCollege.com in the coming weeks.
