UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The upcoming Campus and Community Sustainability Expo, which will be held on Dec. 7 from 5 to 7 p.m. at the State College Municipal building, has become a tradition for participants enrolled in the Sustainable Communities Collaborative. Co-hosted by the State College Borough, this poster exposition brings together students, stakeholders, faculty, and Penn State administration to celebrate community-based student projects.
This year, special guests include a delegation from the Pennsylvania Department of Natural Resources, including Secretary Cindy Dunn.
The fall 2023 semester has set a record for the number of community-engaged scholarship projects facilitated by the Sustainable Communities Collaborative (SCC). Part of Penn State Sustainability’s (previously named the Sustainability Institute at Penn State) outreach efforts, the SCC connects Penn State faculty, students and staff with local communities to address sustainability challenges through an engaged, collaborative effort.
This semester, projects ranged from identifying native plants at Whipple Dam State Park to designing pollinator gardens at a historic mansion near Spruce Creek, creating educational materials for young visitors to a Blair County conservation site, determining best practices for building an inclusive, diverse, and collaborative work environment and much more.
“This semester, in particular, projects overall felt more grounded in sustainability, and our partners have expressed sincere interest in making their work and footprint more sustainable,” said Ilona Ballreich, SCC program director. For example, a new partnership with Pennsylvania Wilds sought to empower local businesses while also stressing their sustainability attributes, said Ballreich. As a result, eight teams in Karen Winterich’s Marketing 442 class are developing diverse approaches, including working directly with vendors, facilitating network growth via a referral program, working with micro-influencers, and elevating the connection between nature, well-being, and technical support via an app.
In addition to seven new partners, this semester also deepened existing relationships. DCNR’s Think Outside program helped connect students at Penn State Brandywine to Ridley Creek State Park to explore a marketing strategy that increases recycling. In contrast, a former community partner in Hazleton was connected to Penn State Hazleton’s engineering program.
University Park classes also traveled further afield, with projects in Tyrone, Altoona, Bellefonte and Phillipsburg. Field trips are essential to the student experience and significantly contribute to student comprehension of the projects and the communities they serve.
The expo is an opportunity for students and the community to engage further, and in some instances, the first chance to meet partners and their boards or colleagues in person. The celebration focuses on student accomplishments, faculty leadership and public partnership. The expo both helps to inspire community partners as they consider potential future projects and provides networking opportunities for students.
The expo is free and open to the public. Advanced registration is not required. For more information, contact ixb20@psu.edu.