Penn State Sustainability

Penn State is in the midst of some really exciting campaigns leading up to (and continuing much after) POWERSHIFT PA!!!  Eco-Action, the hosts of the conference, are doing 3 themselves!  The first thing that they are working on is the “Take back the Tap” campaign, to ban water bottles from being sold on campus.  They are also working with campus organizers to join in to the “Campuses Beyond Coal” campaign.  Members are also volunteering at campus dining halls in order to raise awareness and save the on-campus composting program.  Their main campaign this semester, though, is to save Spring Creek, a beautiful, local plot of land that Penn State is trying to buy.  Eco-Action feels that the land would be better put in the hands of the PA Game Commission, so that they can restore the land to it’s original state. 
 

Engineers for a Sustainable World are also conducting home energy audits, in order to locate inefficient appliances, and systems in houses, so that houses in the State College area can install CFLs and take other measures to become more energy efficient. 
 

PSU’s Veg. Club is holding a campaign that is directed at Penn State Purchasing to get them to supply more sustainable food options in all the dining commons (instead of the ONE a of now). 
 

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. Solar Decathalon will be traveling to DC to show off their latest creation the week before Power Shift Pennsylvania. 
 

Penn State’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. 
 

STATERS is a student group working to increase awareness of recycling programs as well as provide volunteer efforts for numerous Office of the Physical Plant organized recycling programs. The STATERS group promotes recycling before and during Penn State football games by passing out designated bags to tailgaters. They are nationally recognized as the number one recycling program for large venues and special events!