UNIVERSITY PARK, PA. – On Jan. 20, Penn State’s Sustainability Institute virtually hosted the third annual Sustainability Spotlight. The spotlight is a yearly event that celebrates Penn State’s sustainability progress and future directions by lifting the voices of sustainability champions from across the University.
The spotlight featured a range of speakers, including administrators, staff and students who engaged with over 130 attendee registrants. The hopeful tone of the speakers showcased Penn State’s continuing commitment to sustainability progress throughout the past year and nodded to advancements that will be given focus in the future.
“2021 was an eventful year,” said Paul Shrivastava, director of the Sustainability Institute and chief sustainability officer at Penn State, in his introduction to the event. “While still dominated by COVID, we kept up our efforts to institutionalize sustainability across all of Penn State.”
The event kicked off with opening remarks from President Eric Barron, who discussed the broad implementation of sustainability concepts on a university-wide level. Furthermore, President Barron expanded to share the critical role of sustainability initiatives, which help reduce fossil fuel consumption and incorporate sustainability into strategic planning. Additionally, Barron highlighted the importance of the collective efforts of Penn State’s sustainability councils and Commonwealth Campuses whose work contributes to lasting change at every level.
“The pandemic and the turmoil we have experienced over the past few years has been a stark reminder that we live in a global community. What affects one affects all,” said Barron. “Advocates of sustainability have long known we’re all living on one connected, fragile planet, and we need to do our part to take care of it.”
One of the projects celebrated by President Barron was Penn State’s purchase of renewable electricity generated from three Lightsource bp solar farms beginning in 2020. Over the next 25 years, the solar energy generated at the three solar farms in Franklin County will supply Penn State with 25% of its total energy needs. The project contributes significantly to the achievement of Penn State’s goal of reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by 35% from 2005 levels.
Speakers Daniel Newhart, assistant vice provost for planning; Tracey Huston, vice president for outreach; and Roger Brindley, vice provost for global planning; spoke about sustainability in strategic planning, outreach, and global programs, respectively. Newhart noted that across 40-unit strategic plans at Penn State, 144 objectives supported the foundation of ensuring a sustainable future. Additionally, there are 32 units with 96 objectives total that support the stewardship of our planet’s resources.
Huston discussed Penn State’s active role in bringing sustainability concepts and projects to surrounding communities. She highlighted programs such as City Semester, which sends students to complete urban sustainability projects in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.
Brindley announced that this year, due to their integration of sustainability concepts into education abroad programs, Penn State Global Programs received the Forum on Education Abroad’s Award for Advancing the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals Through Education Abroad.
Mid-event, undergraduate music composition student Leah Mullen presented a musical performance that explored the role of the arts in visualizing sustainability outcomes. The piece titled “Those Closest to the Earth Will Burn First” featured vocals by Meghan Nardella, Tessa Vendetti on the clarinet, Samuel Rothermel on viola, and Isabella Scotti on the marimba. The music was accompanied by a visual presentation highlighting statistics that laid bare the disproportionate effect climate change has on marginalized communities.
The event wrapped up with presentations from undergraduate student Nora Van Horn and Sara Thorndike, senior vice president for finance and business. Thorndike spoke about the role of sustainability in finance and business at Penn State. Van Horn, a philosophy and Mandarin undergraduate student, voiced a passionate message regarding students’ roles in promoting actionable sustainability approaches.
“Students have been leading on environmental issues,” said Van Horn. “They’ve been demanding more. They’ve been demanding that we rise to this occasion, and it’s time for the institution to listen and to follow. Because by doing this, we know we can live in a future with more, not less. More care, more solutions, a better, safer, more just world. Imagine that.”
The Penn State community’s collective responsibility to steward sustainability progress was further emphasized in Vice President and Provost Nick Jones' closing remarks.
“I think our greatest calling as a land grant institution is to serve our constituencies and to lead,” said Jones. “We have (with regards to sustainability) not just an opportunity to do that, but an imperative.”
Click here to access the event recording, slides, and follow-up activities