April 9, 2019
233AB Hetzel Union Building
Penn State University Park Campus
An overview of the day for Blueprint for the Future, PERC's conference on the Sustainable Development Goals, made possible by our member institutions and our sponsors, including Sodexo, Brookfield Renewable, the Sustainable Energy Fund and NextEra Energy.
- The master PowerPoint is available here. It includes slides from the entire day except Ted Monk's slides, which are linked here.
- The notes from the SDG workshop work are available here.
- And the text for John Quigley's keynote is here.
Session Descriptions
(In chronological order)
8:00-9:00 am 
Registration/ Breakfast/ Networking
9:00-9:10 am Welcome
Josh Hooper, PERC Executive Director
Ben Culbertson, Shippensburg University, PERC President
9:10-9:20 am A Sponsor's Perspective
Brookfield Renewable on Sustainable Development
9:20–9:35 amAgenda 2030 in Pennsylvania
Paul Shrivastava, CSO, Penn State University
Dr. Shrivastava is Penn State’s Chief Sustainability Officer and was the former director of Future Earth. He will open the day with a vision of how higher educational institutions can help realize Agenda 2030: The Sustainable Development Goals.
9:35–10:35 amSustainable Development in Pennsylvania:
What’s happening and what could happen?
Learn about the United States Sustainable Development Solutions Network from Deputy Director Caroline Fox. Then we will explore the state of two key sectors for sustainable development, health and well-being in Pennsylvania (Goal 3) from Lisa Davis of the Pennsylvania Center for Rural Health; and solar energy (Goals 7 & 13), from Dr. Jeffrey Brownson who has been part of the Finding Pennsylvania’s Solar Future team.
Caroline Fox, US SDSN & SDG Network
Jeffrey Brownson, Penn State, Finding Pennsylvania’s Solar Future
Lisa Davis, Center for Rural Health
10:35-10:50 am Networking and coffee break
10:50–11:00 amA Sponsor's Perspective
Better Tomorrow 2025--Sodexo's Alignment
with the UN SDGs
Ted Monk, Sodexo North America
11 am–12 pmWorking with Our Communities
How are our colleges working with Pennsylvania cities, boroughs, and local municipalities to meet the targets of the Sustainable Development Goals? We will hear from staff and students who are doing the work.
Shaunna Barnhart, Bucknell University
Place Studies Program and Coal Region Field Station
Ilona Ballreich, Penn State University
Sustainable Communities Collaborative
Olivia Termini, Dickinson College
Sustainable and Resilient Communities
12–1 pmLunch
12:15-1 pm“Our Shared Responsibility to Help
Build a Sustainable, Just World.”
The founding Director of the Center for Environment, Energy & Economy and Lecturer in Sustainability at the Harrisburg University of Science and Technology and former Secretary of DEP and Secretary of DCNR, shares his insights on sustainable development and the role we can play.
1–2 pmPosters, Vendors, & Networking
Posters from undergraduate and graduate students, faculty, and staff
2-2:15 pmCampus Sustainability Champion Designation
2:15–3:15 pmOperational Success Stories from across the Commonwealth
EPA award winning PA Higher Ed Food Recovery program
Rob Cooper, Penn State
Chris Steuer, Millersville University of PA
Net Zero Lombardo Welcome Center
3:15–3:30 pmNetworking/ refreshments break
3:30-4:45 pmSustainability Cafe
What are the opportunities for PA higher ed to engage in SDG solutions?
We close out the day with breakout sessions to explore how we as individuals, as schools, and as an organization can deepen our commitment to action for the Sustainable Development Goals.
4:45–5:00 pmClosing Remarks