2021 Commonwealth Campus Sustainability Forums

On May 17 and 18, 2021, the Sustainability Institute will hold its fourth annual Commonwealth Campus Sustainability Forums, open to faculty, staff, and students from all Penn State campuses to gather and learn from each other about how we are implementing sustainability on our campuses. The forums, virtually hosted by Penn State Wilkes-Barre and Penn State Behrend, will take place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. (EDT) each day.

This year’s theme, Contributing to Community Resilience, will provide administrators, faculty, staff, and students a plethora of opportunities to engage, share experiences from your initiatives and find synergies between your campus and its community. Please review the schedule below and register for the sessions you would like to attend.

Unlike previous years, this year’s morning plenary sessions are organized by campus size rather than geographic location, as detailed in the agenda below. Everyone is welcome to attend either or both morning meetings, gaining insights from all the campuses’ initiatives. Each morning, after campuses have presented, the Plenary Session will close with a vision for the coming year. In the afternoons, there will be four workshops spread out over the two days [please note this is a change from the originally announced schedule]. Click the button below to register.

People attending the 2019 CWC forum
People attending the 2019 CWC forum

Forum Agenda

Contributing to Community Resilience
May 17, 2021 – Virtually hosted by Penn State Wilkes-Barre
May 18, 2021 – Virtually hosted by Penn State Behrend

10:00 a.m. to Noon (EDT) — Plenary Session

  • Welcome by host campus chancellor
  • State of sustainability reports from Penn State’s Commonwealth Campuses
    • Campuses presenting Monday, May 17: Beaver, Dubois, Fayette, Hazleton, Greater Allegheny, Great Valley, Mont Alto, New Kensington, Schuylkill, Shenango, Wilkes-Barre, York
    • Campuses presenting Tuesday, May 18: Abington, Altoona, Behrend, Berks, Brandywine, Harrisburg, Lehigh Valley, Scranton
  • Q&A
  • Closing remarks by Paul Shrivastava, Penn State’s Chief Sustainability Officer and Director of the Sustainability Institute (SI)

12:00 to 1:00 p.m. (EDT) — Lunch on your own

1:00 p.m. (EDT) — First Workshop Sessions (full descriptions in the downloadable handout)

  • Monday, May 17
    • Workshop for Sustainability Curriculum Development (1:00 – 2:30 p.m.)
    • Planting the Seeds for Learning and Engagement (1:00 – 2:30 p.m.)
  • Tuesday, May 18
    • Exploring our Campus’ Greenhouse Gases – Impacts & Opportunities (1:00 – 2:30 p.m.)

1:00 to 2:00 p.m. (EDT) — Chancellors’ Session with Paul Shrivastava (both Monday and Tuesday, for chancellors only)

2:30 p.m. (EDT) —  Second Workshop Sessions (full description in the downloadable handout)

  • Monday, May 17
    • Strategic Community Engagement in a Post-Covid World (2:30 – 4:00 p.m.)
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