Sustainability Institute

Two students named 2021 AASHE Sustainability Award finalists

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) announced Divya Jain, a Penn State student pursing her bachelor of science degree in chemistry, and Nathan Elser, a doctoral candidate in biorenewable systems, as finalists for a 2021 AASHE Sustainability Award in the campus sustainability research category, recognizing outstanding scholarship in higher education. 

The AASHE Sustainability Awards provide global recognition to the individuals and organizations leading the higher education sustainability movement. With the help of volunteer judges, this program raises the visibility of high-impact projects, pioneering research, and student leadership that helps to disseminate innovation and inspire continued progress toward environmental, social and economic health.

Jain’s project, "Carbon Negative Solutions: Reducing Dining’s Carbon Foodprint at Penn State," examines the carbon footprint of Penn State’s dining halls, and proposes possible additional solutions for reduction. Jain worked in consortium with her faculty adviser, Rachel Brennan, associate professor of environmental engineering.

“AASHE is one of the most prominent institutions that measures sustainability in higher education,” said Jain, “and this platform will bring more attention to the carbon impact that our food systems have.”   

Elser, along with his faculty adviser, Judd Michael, conducted his research on the methods that some organizations use to evaluate the sustainability of their paper product consumption.

“Companies often measure their sustainability performance based on how much paper they consumed in the year relative to the amount they consumed in previous years,” said Elser. “Although these kinds of metrics may lead organizational buyers to make better purchasing decisions, they are nonetheless inadequate for assessing sustainability since they do not measure environmental impact.

“I hope my work encourages more organizations to become actively engaged in sustainable supply chain management,” Eiser said.

Finalists for the award were chosen based on overall impact, innovation, stakeholder involvement, clarity and other criteria specific to each award category. Winners will be celebrated during a virtual awards ceremony at noon on Thursday, Dec. 9.

Last Updated December 8, 2021