PENN STATE UNIVERSITY: A LIVING AND LEARNING SUSTAINABILITY LABORATORY

Penn State’s Office of Physical Plant (OPP) supports sustainability through cooperative research, demonstration and educational programs while serving nearly 44,000 students and 22,000 faculty and staff at University Park, 90,000 students at all campuses. Founded as a Farmer’s High School, 1855, the university and its surrounding communities developed slowly. Early industries included timber, iron, charcoal, limestone and ganester production, farming, recreation and education. 100,000+ acres of now public forests are within minutes of campus, some extensively exploited for coal, clay, oil and gas justifying regulation. Initial educational missions included agriculture, forest restoration, military training, exploration and development of PA’s mineral resources. The Living Filter project was initiated (1961-1976). By 1983, up to 4 mgpd of effluent are reclaimed by land application balancing nearly one billion gallon annual groundwater withdrawals. Use of sewage sludge to reclaim mining sites now widely applied was demonstrated. The nation’s first Environmental Geology Seminar (1962-1998) was offered prior to the first Earth Day (1970), when Ruskin began pioneering, OPP sustainability efforts. The fracture-trace method (1962) for groundwater exploration greatly reduced drilling, drawdown and pumping lift costs. Conservation has reduced water use despite campus growth. Stormwater management has improved water quality and enhanced recharge. Recycling is achieving zero discharge of solid and organic waste.

PSU is converting to natural gas to meet CO₂ emissions. Subsidized early wind energy met 5 % of its needs, now nearly 20 % is green energy. A geothermal system, >6,000 deep wells was rejected. An aggressive conservation plan was implemented. L.E.E.D.’s new and remodeled building designs, classroom timing switches, Friday night volunteers are used. 250,000 BTU/Gsf were consumed in 2003, reduced to 175,000 Btu’s by 2010: an $11-million yearly saving when deregulation doubled energy costs. A Sustainability Institute and an OPP advisory program have been established. Among other activities, the Green Dorm Project was initiated and a conference was funded featuring the Nile sustained by Congo River diversion (K.A. Parizek). Your institution may welcome similar collaborations.