Get Involved

1. Courses

Sustainable courses at Penn State are those that spread knowledge and awareness of contemporary issues and different perspectives on those issues. They teach environmental responsibilityand promote lifelong learning. The class itself provides an opportunity to develop action skills that are applied in multiple settings. (These settings, which may include a diverse learning experience, a hands-on project, civic engagement, applied research/community outreach and education or community service, are regularly followed up with multiple semesters to form relationships). The class may also provide diverse interactions, exposing students to other disciplines, cultures, generation, racial groups, ethnic groups, religious affiliations or economic backgrounds. Finally, the class must provide opportunity for reflection through class discussions, through-provoking questions, memory-jogger handouts, writing samples, presentations and/or a final artifact.

For more information on what student’s can look for in their classes or what professor’s can look to add in theirs, please see the Sustainability in Higher Education Rubric (SHEAR) developed by a former Penn State graduate student, Kaitlin Vacca.

 

2. Organizations

It is important that students not only learn about sustainability through their coursework, but also through hands-on involvement and leadership. There are many organizations and contests at Penn State that provide students of all majors and expertise with these experiences.

Below is a list of active sustainable organizations at Penn State, their mission and how YOU can get involved!

Misson: The purpose of this organization shall be:

  • To foster relationships among all sustainability focused clubs, students, faculty, staff, and community members to share resources and ideas.
  • To introduce members to various issues of sustainability
  • To provide information for members interested in pursuing careers in sustainability
  • To provide public education on current sustainability issues
  • To promote outreach to improve environmental stewardship

How to Join: Contact Clare Wagner, President at cuw133@psu.edu

Mission:  The Penn State Environmental Society (PSES) is for all students interested in the environment and fun environmentally-related activities.  PSES members enjoy hiking, camping, volunteering, watershed clean-ups, environmental films, fundraising, and many other activities.  Our group also works with Penn State's Environmental Center, Shaver’s Creek, and participates in several of the center's events throughout the year.  PSES is an interactive group that is completely run and managed by students.  So if you want to join a club that does fun environmental activities, this is the club for you!

How to Join:  Come to a meeting in the bottom of Irving’s Café at 6 p.m. every Tuesday!

 

Mission:  Eco-Action is a club dedicated to promoting environmental awareness and sustainability on campus through actions, discussions and more.

How to Join:  Come to a meeting in 322 H&HD Building East at 7 p.m. any Tuesday!

 

Mission: We hope to create a way for students at Penn State to learn lessons about our natural environment, our ethical and ecological understanding of that environment, and how to create educational experiences that foster that understanding. Therefore, we strive for personal and communal sustainability defined as “the possibility that humans and other life will flourish on Earth forever.” Join us in this flourishing.

How to Join:

 

Mission:  The Engineers for a Sustainable World act to facilitate the opportunity for students to be educated on, design and implement sustainable engineering technologies.

How to Join: Check out the website to find out when the next meeting is and/or join the listserv to recieve e-mail updates about the group!

 

Mission: The Community Food Security Club is working to promote health and decrease diseases by promoting less processed foods and more locally grown foods.  Our plan is to have a garden to help Nutrition students understand the importance of growing and eating produce.  We are also working on promoting healthier foods in the commons and school gardening in K-12 so kids could learn how to eat healthier and be more environmental as well.  Last semester, I worked with kindergartners involved with school gardening and it was amazing to see how much info they knew about gardening and produce.  Our club is working to help more schools develop this concept.

How to Join: Contact Leigh-Ann Charles at lcc5020@psu.edu.

 

Mission:  The Pennsylvania State University’s Advanced Vehicle Technologies (AVT) team is dedicated to looking for new technologies to increase gas mileage, decrease emissions, and most importantly provide students with an experience that they’ll never forget and technical, hands-on skills that will help them in future careers.

How to Join: Learn how to here!

 

Mission: The Department of Energy's Solar Decathlon is a competition in which 20 teams of college and university students compete to design, build, and operate the most attractive, effective, and energy-efficient solar-powered house. The Penn State Solar Decathlon Team, uses an integrated, holistic approach to develop a restorative residence for the betterment of the global environment, by utilizing renewable energies and green technologies.

 

Mission: Prepare campus and community leaders through service.

How to Join: e-mail Megan Wight, President at mew5100@psu.edu

 

Mission:  Circle K at Penn State, University Park, works to provide exciting service opportunities on campus, in State college and surrounding areas. With weekly projects at the Young Scholars Extended Day program and Kid’s Club, members have a chance to work volunteering into their regular schedule. There are also numerous projects on weekends and weekdays. Some of these projects include trail clean-ups, activity days at Schlow library, craft parties with adults with disabilities and more. As an organization, we get involved in Penn State events like Homecoming, THON and Relay for Life. There are also opportunities to meet Circle K members from around the state when we travel to district events.

How to Join: Come to a meeting in 108 Henderson at 7 p.m. on Tuesdays.

 

Mission: In 1961, President John F. Kennedy established the Peace Corps to promote world peace and friendship.

The Peace Corps' mission has three simple goals:

  1. Helping the people of interested countries in meeting their need for trained men and women.
  2. Helping promote a better understanding of Americans on the part of the peoples served.
  3. Helping promote a better understanding of other peoples on the part of Americans.

How to Join: Apply Online!

Mission: We are committed to engaging students by providing educational activities, programs, and services that:

•  Support students in developing transferable skills to become effective leaders
•  Connect students with services opportunities that create awareness of social justice issues and community needs
•  Provide students with the resources to establish and sustain diverse and cohesive organizations

How to Join: e-mail Joe Prozeralik at jjp5081@psu.edu

 

  • Take Charge

Mission:  University Park currently uses as much electricity as approximately 30,000 average U.S. homes (310,000,000 kilowatt-hours) for which it spends $24 million dollars annually, that’s over $65,000 a day.

The good news is that Penn State’s Physical Plant has been “taking charge” by making smart investments to reduce our energy use even while new buildings are being built. But the rest of us also play an important role as we control thousands of computers, pieces of equipment, light switches, and thermostats. We can Take Charge too. The University’s new Energy Conservation Policy (AD 64) is a great opportunity for us all to do our part.

How to Join:

 

Recruiting Organizations:

 

Mission: To increase awareness of on campus recycling programs as well as provide volunteer efforts for numerous Office of the Physical Plant organized recycling programs.

How to Join: e-mail Cammy Brown at ceb5036@psu.edu

Mission: Helping people maintain harmony with the natural systems that support all life.


How to Join: Check out the Work/Volunteer Page on the website!

 

  • Waste Not

Mission:  The Waste Not Project is a University Park service club that is dedicated to helping others in the State College area. Every night, a group of Waste Not volunteers pick up leftover food from Simmons and Redifer Dining Commons and deliver it to shelters throughout the area. Throughout the week, the Waste Not Project assists five shelters in the State College area to provide meals for their residents. Volunteering with Waste Not is easy and requires less than 1 hour per week!

How to Join:  We recruit new members throughout the semester and welcome anyone who would like to get involved in community service at Penn State. We are also looking for volunteers who have cars and would be able to drive from the commons to the local shelters once per week.

 

Mission: Trash to Treasure makes it easy for students to help the local community, and all proceeds go to local charities supported by the Centre County United Way.
It also reduces the amount of waste the University puts into the landfill. And last but not least, the program gives residents of the State College community the opportunity to purchase usable items at a very low cost.

How to Join: Sign-up to volunteer!

 

Mission:  The campaign was designed to promote civility and respect at Penn State's University Park Campus. The campaign has grown to include other aspects of taking pride in Penn State, such as encouraging positive fan behavior as well as creating and supporting recycling programs. The evolution of the campaign stems from the members' proactive responses to issues affecting the university community. Students are welcome to express a concern or to participate in committee discussions at any time during the year.

Yearly projects for the WE ARE Campaign include participating in the homecoming; poster campaigns; newspaper cleanups and community service events.

Our most anticipated annual event takes place in the spring semester and is known as Spring UP [for University Park!] Growing in popularity for the past three years, Spring UP has seen as many as 550 volunteers in one day. The WE ARE Campaign works closely with the Penn State Alumni Association, thus Spring-UP is hosted out of the beautiful Hintz Family Alumni Center.

How to Join:  Please contact Steph Gilmour at sag5062@psu.edu.

Mission: Promotes the development of all phases of wildlife research and management along sound biological lines.

How to Join: e-mail Daniel Bove at djb5129@psu.edu.

 

Mission: Strives to help the Penn State Community better understand the importance of sustainable agriculture through educational community programs and activities.

How to Join: Contact Lauren Hill at lah5164@psu.edu to get on the listserv.

 

Mission: Fosters leadership and responsible citizenship, encourages high ethical standards in business and promotes international understanding.

How to Join: Attend a Meeting. Click here to find out when the next one is!

Mission: We meet with each other and community leaders to share methods of best practice in order to improve our individual service organizations and better educate students in service learning.

How to Join: e-mail sym4@sa.psu.edu.

 

Mission: To build the movement to eliminate educational inequity by enlisting our nation's most promising future leaders in the effort.

How to Join: Apply Today!  

 

3. Internships

 

Green internships give students the chance to highlight what they learn at Penn State in the professional workplace. They provide professional hands-on experiences and give students a taste of what it’s like to have a green career. Internships are an important component of a student’s education as they begin to mold life-long professional skills.

 

4. Conferences/Events

 

Conferences provide students with multiple professional viewpoints on a sustainability topic. As we are only in the process of moving toward a sustainable world, it is important that students stay educated on current developments. Attending conferences is one more way for students to expand on their sustainable education.