Goals

Leadership

Provide leadership throughout the University for environmental stewardship through education and example.

1. Promote awareness of the University’s environmental responsibilities and encourage best practices. (Leaders of individual initiatives)

   Actions

   1. Maintain an Environmental Stewardship web page.
   2. Collaborate with faculty and students as well as the Penn State Environmental Consortium on various sustainability initiatives.

   2002-03 Accomplishments:

   1. Briefed the Board of Trustees twice on the Environmental Stewardship program.
   2. Delivered presentations on Penn State's Environmental Stewardship program to the Campus Safety, Health and Environmental Management Association, and the Eastern Region of the Association of Higher Education Facilities Officers conferences.

   2003-04 Goals:

   1. Evaluate hosting a higher education conference on Environmental Stewardship and best practices.
   2. Survey campus environmental programs and add to web page. Continue outreach efforts to campuses.
   3. Present a session on Environmental Stewardship at APPA/NACUBO national convention in July 2003.
   4. Collaborate with Bob McKinstry on developing the agenda for the next Goddard Forum, which will focus on the issue of sustainable development/sustainable communities, which will take place in May 2004.

   Challenges:

   1. Understanding the impact of worldwide environmental trends on Penn State, and building awareness of environmental issues will continue to be a challenge. Global warming, endangered water resources, and declining bio-diversity are global issues that have local examples. We will need to continue to understand the issues and develop strategies to deal with these local issues.
2. Educate F & B employees on this strategy, and on best practices to safeguard the environment. (Leaders of individual initiatives)

   Actions

   1. F&B retreat presentations. Report to F&B unit heads on Environmental Stewardship (October 2002)
3. Use business practices that reflect commitment to environmental stewardship, lead by example. (Each F&B Unit head)

   Actions:

   1. Each unit act in a manner reflecting commitment and publish results through internal channels.
   2. EHS awarded 2002 Governor's Award for Environmental Excellence.

   2002-03 Accomplishments

   1. Briefed the Board of Trustees twice on the Environmental Stewardship program.
   2. Delivered presentations on Penn State's Environmental Stewardship program to the Campus Safety, Health and Environmental Management Association, and the Eastern Region of the Association of Higher Education Facilities Officers conferences.

   Challenges:

   1. Building an awareness of the impact of each person's daily actions on the environment. Educating people on the environmental consequences of their daily choices and encouraging them to behave in an environmentally responsible manner. Sometimes the right thing to do from an environmental standpoint is slightly more expensive because the environmental consequences are not built into the cost of the product. Our goal is to make people aware of these consequences, and to consider them in the decisions that they make. A way to do this is to increase student involvement in environmental stewardship programs so that they learn good environmental stewardship practices.