NEW KENSINGTON, Pa. — Penn State New Kensington faculty and staff celebrated a campus and University milestone last week that has been in the making for four years. The campus is the first in the Penn State system to boast full completion of all four levels of the Penn State Sustainability Institute’s Green Paws Program.
“I appreciate the efforts that everyone has made,” said Kevin Snider, chancellor at Penn State New Kensington. “It’s been a long, sustained effort, and every year, we’ve made progress toward a really important goal of becoming more efficient [and] more aware of our environment, our climate and our world in ways that make a difference.”
The Green Paws program helps members of the University learn how to use resources to promote greater resource efficiency, improved health and environmental sustainability. Each of the four levels of the program features numerous action items requiring increasing levels of learning and personal commitment. To earn certifications at each level, at least 75 percent of all employees in a unit must complete the action items. The Green Paws program typically is implemented by an individual department or unit’s Green Team, which meets periodically to discuss efforts and strategies for creating a healthier and sustainable workplace.
"Sustainability for Penn State is about people."
— Paul Shrivastava, chief sustainability officer at Penn State
While many Penn State campuses have teams working on the Green Paws programs, New Kensington’s efforts are unique in that the entire campus committed to completing all four levels of Green Paws. When praising New Kensington’s success at the celebration, Paul Shrivastava, Penn State’s chief sustainability officer, director of the Sustainability Institute, and professor of management in the Smeal College of Business, noted the uniqueness of its accomplishment.
“I’m thankful for what all of you are doing,” Shrivastava told attendees. “Not only have you all finished the Green Paws Program, but the participation rate [had] almost everyone on the campus being involved.”