Sustainability Kickoff

Penn State Schuylkill Beekeeping Club — A Cold Taste of Sweetness: An Ice Cream Experience 

• This table showcases the impact of pollinators and the role of beekeeping in sustainability, with a special focus on the honey initiative. 

• Activity: Visitors can make and sample honey lavender ice cream, hand-cranked by participants, and learn how they can set up a campus apiary to promote pollinator health while discussing sustainability and bee conservation. 

Engaging Students in Sustainability to Make Lasting Change

• This table focuses on fostering sustainability collaboration across Penn State campuses. Visitors will learn about how different campuses contribute to sustainability and share their own ideas. 

• Activity: Visitors can leave a sustainability idea or example from their campus, and “thumbs up” or exchange ideas with others to encourage teamwork and learning. 

Penn State EnvironMentors & Commonwealth Arboreta Network 

• Learn about the EnvironMentors program and the Commonwealth Arboreta Network’s environmental initiatives, with a focus on education and tree-based solutions. 

• Activity: Engage in an activity that explores how trees can reduce energy use and provide environmental benefits, helping participants connect sustainability with everyday actions. 

EMS Sustainability Council Student Committee 

• The EMS Sustainability Council table highlights how sustainability is integrated into student life, focusing on the UN SDGs. 

• Activity: Visitors can participate in a fun trivia game (with prizes!) that includes questions on sustainability, Penn State initiatives, and the UN SDGs, or join in on an upcycling project by making bracelets from recycled plastic bags. 

CEE (Community, Environment, Economy)

• This table showcases sustainability projects in Indonesia and Tanzania, emphasizing community development, agriculture, and environmental solutions. 

• Activity: Participants can engage in activities like sorting plastic waste, estimating soil cover for agricultural sustainability, smelling Indonesian coffee, and guessing the uses of sustainable farming models to stimulate conversations about global sustainability challenges. 

Alternative Spring Break (ASB) 

• The Alternative Spring Break table highlights the importance of sustainability through community partnerships and cultural exchange. 

• Activity: Visitors will participate in music and dance, learning bomba and plena, and make arts and crafts, such as a flor de maga or planting beans, to take home while connecting with sustainability practices.

Human Connection into Sustainability 

• This table focuses on the power of collective action for sustainability, using art to express how small contributions can lead to big environmental change. 

• Activity: Visitors can add to a collaborative mural made of upcycled materials, contributing to a visual representation of sustainability. They can also write and hang environmental pledges on a “wishing tree” to commit to sustainable actions in their daily lives. 

Totes & Tree of Change 

• This activity promotes sustainability by encouraging participants to reduce single-use waste and reflect on personal eco-friendly goals. 

• Visitors can decorate a reusable tote bag and add their sustainability pledge or goal to the “Tree of Change” with a leaf sticky note! 

Sustain Penn State

• This table will be hosted by Sustain Penn State and participants can learn more about the events and programs offered.