postcard writing

Postcards for Constitution Day 2018

Dr. Laura Guertin Events , , , ,

For Constitution Day 2018, the Sustainovation Team collaborated with Penn State Brandywine’s Vairo Library and Center for Ethics and Civic Engagement to host opportunities for students to engage in the democratic practices our Constitution affords us. The Center for Ethics and Civic Engagement had a table for voter registration and for people to double-check their registration status. Vairo Library had a book display on the Constitution. And since we at Sustainovation are so passionate about postcard writing, it should be no surprise that the Sustainovation Team staffed a table for students to write postcards to their U.S. and State Senators and Representatives on three different issues – the Hidden Figures Congressional Gold Medal Act (an ongoing project for us), banning puppy mills in Pennsylvania, and requesting a risk assessment of the Mariner East 2 pipeline coming through our region.

Supporting the Hidden Figures Congressional Gold Medal Act

Dr. Laura Guertin Events , , ,

The Penn State Brandywine Vairo Library and Sustainovation Team came together to host a special event for students, staff and faculty across campus involving writing postcards for advocacy and education. With two prior campus-wide postcard writing events to show support for the EPA and the Gun Violence Research Act, we found that students are expressing an interest in having additional opportunities to write postcards. Instead of having students wait for us to hold an event, we wanted to make sure students knew where to find materials and resources so they could engage on their own.

We held two sessions on campus to help students with the overall postcard writing process and how to find the contact information for their U.S. and State Congresspeople. Faculty librarian Annie Jansen created a LibGuide for Elections and Adovcacy that will serve as an ongoing reference for students.

At the sessions, we encouraged students to write postcards to support the women of NASA – specifically, the Hidden Figures Congressional Gold Medal Act. We also shared a new program we are doing with Media Elementary School, helping their first grade students learn about geography and culture from postcards we send them during our travels locally-to-globally.

We look forward to engaging our students more with postcards and advocacy!

 

Postcards for HR 1478

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

On March 11, 2018, the Sustainovation Club collaborated with Vairo Library to hold a day-long postcard writing campaign to support research into the gun violence epidemic. On this National School Walkout Day, postcards were available in the Library along with information about H.R. 1478, the Gun Violence Research Act. This bill amends the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2016 to eliminate the prohibition on the Department of Health and Human Services using federal funds to advocate or promote gun control. The bill has been referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce – Subcommittee on Health, so we picked up our pens to write to members of the Subcommittee and our local representatives to support this bill and to move it along. As a community, we authored 96 postcards that were sent to Washington DC.

This postcard writing advocacy event in Spring 2018 supports the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal #16 – Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions.