| 8:00 AM... | Registration/ Networking/ Coffee and light breakfast. Poster setup. |
| 9:00 AM... | Welcome/Intros--Josh Hooper, PERC, Susannah Barsom, Penn State |
| 9:10 AM... | Host Institution Highlight: The UN Sustainable Development Goals: What makes this time different for Higher Ed? |
| 9:20 AM... | PA Higher Education Food Recovery Challenge --Fewer GHGs, Less Hunger and Greater Visibility. With U.S. EPA's Luke Wolfgang and Carty McMullen, Regional VP, Sodexo. |
| 9:50 AM... | Sponsor Spotlight: Partners in Food Waste Reduction, Deb McMahon Sodexo. |
| 10:00 AM... | Modeling Sustainability through Higher Ed Partnerships in State Parks and Forests Mike Walsh, Deputy Secretary, Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) |
| 10:30 AM... | Coming Attractions--a look at PERC events coming up for the rest of the academic year. |
| 10:45 AM... | PERC Business: Election of Executive Committee Members |
| 11:00 AM... | Keynote-"Building Bridges" John Quigley, Secretary, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. (DEP) |
| 12:00 PM... | Lunch/ Networking/ Poster Session |
| 1:00 PM... | Showcasing Sustainability: an interactive session w Secretary John Quigley |
| 2:00 PM... | Panel: Selected 2015 Campus Sustainability Champions |
| 3:00 PM... | Option: Breakout groups on Food Systems, Climate, Water. OR Tour PSU's Eco-Machine |
| 3:55 PM... | Closing Remarks |
"Building Bridges: Partnering to Drive Sustainability Forward"
John Quigley, Secretary
Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP)
DEP is interested in finding ways that PERC schools can partner with DEP to 1) move sustainability forward and 2) mutually benefit both DEP and the Member Institutions. PERC's Executive Committee had a meeting with Mr. Quigley this summer to talk about the important role higher education can play in advancing sustainability and how we can begin to "build bridges" between DEP and the work that Pennsylvania Higher Education institutions are doing both on-campus and off. His ideas on the subject were positively invigorating; the Executive Committee invited him to give this keynote address at our annual meeting to share his thoughts. Come find out how your school can be a part of it and share your thoughts with the Secretary in the Q&A that follows his address.
Moderator: Kathy Straub, Susquehanna University
to campus projects that relate to water; the second will relate to climate. To get the conversation going, we will highlight two projects from each area...
- Dr. Jonathan Niles, director of the Freshwater Research Initiative at Susquehanna University, furthering research on the ecological issues of the Susquehanna River.
- Bridget Wadzuk, alternate lead of the Villanova Urban Stormwater Partnership at Villanova University, advancing the evolving field of stormwater management.
- Ken Shultes, Associate VP for Sustainability & Facilities Planning, Dickinson College will discuss the college's multi-pronged approach to climate change.
- Brandi Robinson, Lecturer, Energy and Sustainability Policy Program, Penn State University explains the ways in which they have partnered with Pennsylvania communities to help with municipal and county-based Greenhouse Gas Inventories.
The PA Higher Ed Food Recovery Challenge
Fewer GHGs, Less Hunger and Greater Visibility
PERC won EPA's Endorser of the Year Award this year for this unique partnership. We'll take a look at this initiative: where it is and where it is going, recognize the participating schools and examine the benefits of getting your school involved.
Modeling Sustainability Through Partnerships in State Parks and Forests
Michael Walsh, Deputy Secretary
Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR)
Find out how your school can be part of DCNR's new Sustainability Initiative! Mike Walsh is co-chair of the initiative and will discuss the full-cycle approach to sustainability at DCNR, the state agency responsible for 120 state parks and 2 million acres of forest land. As part of this work,
DCNR will develop partnerships with colleges and universities. Mike will also discuss a new Pennsylvania public service internship program designed to create career pathways at DCNR and other state agencies for current college students. His talk will include time for Q&A in which Mike will seek input on how to more fully engage institutions of higher learning in the Sustainability Initiative. A great way to engage your institution in this valuable opportunity.
Creating partnerships and promoting sustainability is familiar ground for Mike Walsh. In a previous role as Deputy Secretary at the Pennsylvania Department of Education, he created the “Pathways to Green Schools” initiative to promote a comprehensive approach to sustainability in Pennsylvania’s K-12 educational system.
A brief look at some of the exciting events planned for the academic year, including...
Building Sustainability from the Inside Out--Erik Foley and Jeremy Bean, Penn State University
College, Community, Climate--Donald Brown, Widener University
Student Sustainability Symposium--Josh Hooper, PERC
PA Power Dialog--Neil Leary, Dickinson College
EnergyPath 2016--Kelly McCartney, The Sustainable Energy Fund
This year's poster session will be great chance to discover and discuss work happening in other Pennsylvania institutions. Attendees should find a wide array of topics and authors, from undergraduate to graduate to faculty to staff and many combinations thereof. Check it out! The Poster Session is made possible by a generous donation from the Sustainability Institute of Penn State University.
PERC's Campus Sustainability Champion designation is a statewide effort to recognize individuals who are doing commendable work on moving sustainability forward on their campuses and communities. Four of the 2015 CSC designees will be giving an overview of their work and answering questions about how their lessons learned might apply to your campus.
the data they generate for aquatic protection and restoration efforts.
- Food Systems
- Climate and Energy
- Water