Activities

Teacher Workshop – Air Quality Flag Program

Dr. Laura Guertin Activities, Tyler Arboretum

The Sustainovation Team worked with Tyler Arboretum in assisting them with expanding their teacher programming by offering a half-day workshop to help teachers learn about the EPA’s Air Quality Flag Program for schools. SCC funds were used to purchase flags for the schools to bring back and implement with their students.

More information about the EPA Air Quality Flag Program is available at: https://airnow.gov/index.cfm?action=flag_program.index

An excellent StoryMap describing the program is available at: https://gispub.epa.gov/OAR_OAQPS/FlagProgram/

Sustainability Research Station at Pumpkin Days 2019

aus206 Activities, Sustainovation Club, Tyler Arboretum , ,

photo of Sustainovation Club membersDue to the efforts of the Sustainovation Club and other campus volunteers, on October 12 Penn State Brandywine held its third annual Sustainability Research Station at Tyler Arboretum’s Pumpkin Days fall festival! Over the past three years, the campus has collaborated with Tyler’s Director of Public Programs Amy Mawby to create new and innovative activities in order to help extend Tyler Arboretum’s education mission into its fun, family-focused events like Pumpkin Days.

During the first year, the Sustainability Research Station focused on the concept of paper versus plastic straws, while the second year’s station educated visitors on conserving energy at home and learning about renewable energy sources. This year, the research station found a new location at the Arboretum and combined many different activities. Student volunteers engaged visitors on their knowledge of recycling and its importance. Young visitors were encouraged to demonstrate their ability to identify whether items were paper, plastic, or aluminum and place them in the correct recycling bin.

Club member helping young Tyler visitor with craft

Visitors were also invited to participate in several crafts. With the help of campus volunteers, kids created beautiful flowers using donated coffee filters (some dyed beautiful colors using food coloring), pipe cleaners, and paper straws. Also, they were invited to write or draw their own stories about nature, using pictures of animals and other objects in nature as prompts, which led into another important part of the research station: the Short Edition machine. Penn State Brandywine’s own short story dispensing machine made an appearance in order to help inform Tyler visitors of the Nature Narratives contest, which is co-sponsored by Sustainovation, University Libraries, and Tyler Arboretum. More information can be found here: https://tinyurl.com/naturenarratives

students assisting children with recyling activityEvery year, the station’s mission, beyond entertaining visitors and creating amazing crafts, is to help families reflect upon how they could change personal behaviors and possible encourage others to do so as well in order to make choices that are sustainable and beneficial to the environment. Overall, this annual event has helped student volunteers and visitors connect, discuss important issues facing our world today, and create beautiful arts and crafts.

 

The Sustainability Research Station held at Tyler Arboretum’s Pumpkin Days festival in fall 2019 supports the United Nations Sustainable Development  Goal #4 – Quality Education, Goal #12 – Responsible Consumption and Production, and Goal #17 – Partnerships For The Goals.

Subaru Loves Learning – so do we!

Dr. Laura Guertin Activities, Sustainovation Club ,

We learned about this initiative from our local Subaru dealer, and we knew this would be the perfect project during our first week of the semester!

We grabbed a bunch of bookmarks and book plates from Rafferty Subaru, and we camped out at a table in Vairo Library for day. We invited the campus to come out and decorate these items that would then be inserted into award-winning science books to local children. Thanks to everyone’s help, we completed 20 bookmarks and 39 book plates. We’re happy to do our part in helping Subaru and AAAS with this amazing project!

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The Subaru Loves Learning event in Vairo Library during the first week of the semester in fall 2019 supports the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal #4 – Quality Education, Goal #10 – Reduced Inequalities, and Goal #17 – Partnerships for the Goals.

 

Earth Week – Postcards for Pollinators

Dr. Laura Guertin Activities, Events , ,

Postcards for Pollinators!

For Earth Day/Earth Week, Sustainovation Team member Dr. Laura Guertin joined forces with the Vairo Library for a week-long campaign for protecting our pollinators. The Earth Day Network theme for 2019 was Protect Our Species, and the campus decided to focus specifically on the plight of our threatened pollinators.

Students were allowed to submit their names to online petitions or to write postcards to the EPA to encourage the ban on neonic pesticides that kill pollinators, to write postcards to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos to encourage Amazon to stop selling these chemicals, and to write our Pennsylvania Senators to encourage them to support the Pollinator Recovery Act. The Library also hosted a book display on pollinators.

The Postcards for Pollinators event in Vairo Library during Earth Day/Earth Week in spring 2019 supports the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal #11 – Sustainable Cities and Communities, Goal #12 – Responsible Consumption and Production, Goal #15 – Life On Land, and Goal #17 – Partnerships For The Goals.

2019 Student Leadership Recognition Night

Dr. Laura Guertin Activities, Recognition, Sustainovation Club ,

Penn State Brandywine students who have impacted the campus through their leadership and service were honored at the student leadership recognition night on April 10. The annual ceremony highlights the achievements of students involved with clubs, student government and campus programs.

Congratulations to Sustainovation Club Secretary Subaita Ahmed, this year’s winner of the Outstanding Service to Campus and Community Award, which recognizes a student who has volunteered their time to assist others. She is involved with the Sustainovation Club, the Multicultural Student Club and service projects. Congratulations, Subaita!

 

2nd Annual Fixings for Thanksgiving Club Challenge

Dr. Laura Guertin Activities, Media Food Bank, Sustainovation Club , , ,

The Sustainovation Club teamed up with the MARCOMM Club for a second year to challenge students clubs across the campus to help Media Food Bank provide a full Thanksgiving meal to families in our region. Media Food Bank receives plenty of turkey donations, but not enough of the “fixings” to go along with the turkey. We were asked to provide specific food items, and we turned their wish list into our second annual Fixings for Thanksgiving Club Challenge.

Each club selected a different food item to collect and donate. The Office of Student Affairs generously offered to award the clubs that collected the most items. Even faculty and staff decided to join in on the fun!

At the end of the collection drive, we donated 207 food items to Media Food Bank.

We thank the following clubs for their participation and contributions: Active Minds (stuffing, gravy, canned pie filling), Blue and White Society (boxed instant mashed potatoes), Lion Ambassadors (salt & pepper), Sustainovation (rice) and MARCOMM (cranberry sauce). Faculty contributed salad dressing, while staff donated applesauce.

 

The food drive for Media Food Bank in fall 2018 supports the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal #2 – Zero Hunger and Goal #10 – Reduced Inequalities.

Sustainability Research Station at Pumpkin Days 2018

Dr. Laura Guertin Activities, Sustainovation Club, Tyler Arboretum , ,

Thanks to the hard work of the Sustainovation Club members and to additional volunteers from across the campus, our second annual Sustainability Research Station at Tyler Arboretum’s Pumpkin Days fall festival was a success! To assist Tyler Arboretum with extending their education mission into Pumpkin Days, we collaborated with Tyler’s Director of Public Programs Amy Mawby to host a Sustainability Research Station different from last year’s paper versus plastic straws. The goal of this year’s station was to educate Tyler’s visitors on conserving energy at home and learning about renewable energy sources. Visitors were also asked to reflect upon how they could change personal behaviors and/or encourage others to do so. Finally, we had a related fun activities for kids and their families.

On October 20, from 10AM to 5PM, volunteers from Penn State Brandywine (23 in total) hosted activities to engage visitors on their knowledge of energy use in the home. Then, visitors were showed renewable energy sources, and encouraged to use even less power by going outdoors for fun and activity. Visitors were also provided a handout with information on energy conservation, the Energy Literacy Principles from the Department of Energy, and the Sustainable Development Goals from the United Nations. You can view the brochure here.

 

 

 

 

 

Finally, continuing on the wind theme, kids (and adults!) were challenged to construct a pinwheel made of paper, a paper straw, wooden stick, and a pipe cleaner. We were so pleased to see everyone have fun creating their pin wheels, with some clever design models! This activity allowed everyone to push their thoughts on innovative design while making this craft.

In the end, we were pleased to work with Tyler Arboretum in developing an activity that was educational and engaging, allowing us to encourage a reflection about individual choices on how to save energy at home. Our Penn State Brandywine volunteers interacted with over 320 of Tyler’s visitors and facilitated the construction of over 100 pinwheels. We volunteered for 72.25 hours (averaging about 3 hours per person)

Some of our campus volunteers, along with Amy Mawby (Tyler’s Public Programs Director) and the Nittany Lion

 

The Sustainability Research Station held at Tyler Arboretum’s Pumpkin Days festival in fall 2018 supports the following United Nations Sustainable Development Goals: Goal #7 – Affordable and Clean Energy; Goal #9 – Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure; Goal #12 – Responsible Consumption and Production.

Screening of documentary “The Human Element”

Dr. Laura Guertin Activities, Events, Sustainovation Club , ,

Each fall semester, the Sustainovation Team, Sustainovation Club, and Sustainability Committee come together and host a screening of a scientific documentary for the campus and public. This time, the screening was of James Balog’s The Human Element, addressing water, air, land, and fire – the basic elements of human life, and the impacts humans are having on these elements.

Here is a preview of the film. After the viewing, Dr. Laura Guertin (Earth Science) and Dr. Mark Boudreau (Biology) hosted a Q&A session for audience questions about climate science.

See Penn State News article on this event, “Open to the public: Free screening of ‘The Human Element’ at Brandywine”

The campus screening of The Human Element held in fall 2018 supports the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal #9 – Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure, Goal #11 – Sustainable Cities and Communities, Goal #12 – Responsible Consumption and Production, Goal #13 – Climate Action, Goal #15 – Life on Land, and Goal #17 – Partnerships For The Goals.

2018 Student Leadership Recognition Night

Dr. Laura Guertin Activities, Recognition ,
Club Secretary Gabe Schaefer with his two service awards

Tonight was the Penn State Brandywine 2017-2018 Student Leadership Inauguration & Recognition Night, hosted by the Division of Student Affairs. We were surprised and thrilled to be recognized with four awards across the Sustainovation Club – a club in its first year of existence! Club Secretary Gabe Schaefer (pictured on left) was honored with the Outstanding Student Service to Campus and Community Award AND the Diane D. Shorter Outstanding Community Service Award.

The Club shares an award with the MARCOMM (Marketing and Communications Club) for the Program/Event of the Year with the Fixings for Thanksgiving Club Challenge for Media Food Bank. See our summary of this award-winning event.

Club Adviser Dr. Laura Guertin was recognized as Club Adviser of the Year. Congrats to all for their efforts on promoting sustainability through innovation and work towards the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The award for 2017-2018 Program/Event of the Year, jointly won by the Sustainovation Club and MARCOMM Club

 

From left to right: Club Adviser Dr. Laura Guertin, Club Secretary Gabe Schaefer, Club President James Tyson, MARCOMM Club officer.