New Kensington

New Kensington's Enrollment Management earns campus’ first ‘green’ certificate

Green Paws program challenges faculty and staff to help environment

Enrollment Management team, left to right, Danielle DeStefano, Patty Brady, Jennifer Marino, Nancy Burns, Corinne Coulson, Karen Harlan, and Diana Hill celebrate their Green Paws Level One Certification with a round of drinks at the campus' Junction coffee bar, which features Starbucks coffee. Credit: Penn State New Kensington / Penn State. Creative Commons

UPPER BURRELL, Pa. -- Kermit the Frog famously lamented it was not easy to be green. The Enrollment Management Green Paws team at Penn State New Kensington busted that canard.

Led by coach Danielle DeStefano, assistant director of enrollment management, Enrollment Management became the first campus team to successfully navigate the requirements for Level One certification by the Penn State Sustainability Institute’s Green Paws program, which features teams of campus faculty and staff volunteering to take specific actions to help their offices or departments operate in a more efficient, innovative, and healthy way. The Enrollment Management team earned its certificate in three months.

The New Kensington campus program is composed of 12 teams comprising 77 faculty and staff. Many teams are on the precipice of Level One certification. Besides DeStefano, members of the enrollment squad are: Patty Brady, director of enrollment management; Nancy Burns, staff assistant; Corinne Coulson, enrollment services specialist; Karen Harlan, multimedia specialist; Diana Hill, administrative support assistant; and Jennifer Marino, financial aid coordinator. The Office of Enrollment Management is responsible for recruitment, admissions, and financial aid.

Kevin Snider, chancellor of the campus, encouraged the campus community to learn about sustainability and put it into practice. Since April 1, campus teams have been reducing waste and saving energy. New Kensington is the only Penn State campus with 100 percent participation by its faculty and staff.

University-wide, more than 1,200 faculty and staff participate in the institute’s Green Paws program, and work to earn certificates of achievement. The program is organized into four levels of certification that signify members’ progressions towards higher levels of efficiency, health, and environmental sustainability. The initial level constitutes 10 categories, including energy, and waste reduction, as well as recycling and transportation efforts. Each category has a checklist of certain criteria to meet, and each level makes the office "greener." Certification is bestowed upon those who complete the checklist at each level. To view the requirements for all the levels, visit http://sustainability.psu.edu/greenpaws#level-1

For a list of campus green teams, visit http://www.nk.psu.edu/46198.htm

Last Updated July 23, 2015

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