Sustainable Communities Collaborative

Who we are

The Sustainable Communities Collaborative (SCC) connects University Park faculty, students, and staff with local communities to address sustainability challenges through an engaged, collaborative effort. Innovative University/community-based collaborations are developed to engage PSU faculty and students in existing courses from across the University with real world, community-identified projects to meet the partnering community’s sustainability priorities. Each project is a facilitated effort, involving interdisciplinary faculty expertise and students, co-led by a key community leader and the University’s SCC staff, to help develop and support thriving, healthy communities and advance student learning about the scholarship of sustainability. 

What we do

Through the SCC, Penn State faculty members partner with selected communities in Pennsylvania, including representatives from local governments, campuses, businesses, and other organizations. Once the partnering community leaders have identified a set of projects that contribute to advancing their sustainability goals, they are then matched with existing PSU courses that include an experiential learning element. Meetings are held to establish the details of the projects, taking into account the needs and interests of both the community and faculty partners. Projects are typically addressed in the time frame of one semester, although some projects may span two semesters and may involve more than one course, particularly if the project is multi-dimensional and would benefit from an interdisciplinary problem-solving approach. Written project reports are provided to community stakeholders at the conclusion of each project.

Project and program impacts will be evaluated through post-project faculty, student, and community partner assessments. Impact assessment metrics may include, but are not limited to, measuring the effects immersive and experiential learning has on students, the collective capability of a University-community partnership to advance and influence positive sustainable change, and how a sustainability project-based course may affect the way faculty teach.

Watch a video on the Sustainable Communities Collaborative below.  

Contact:

Michele Halsell
mwh16@psu.edu, 814-867-4578

 

Past and Present Community Partners

Boalsburg Farmers’ Market

The Boalsburg Farmers’ Market is a year-round, “producers only” market. This means that the products sold at the market are locally grown and never produced by third parties. Roughly 20 purveyors participate with goods ranging from cut flowers and homemade soaps to vegetables and salmon. The Boalsburg Farmers’ Market takes place on Tuesdays from 2-6 p.m. at The Pennsylvania Military Museum in the summer season and at St. John’s United Church of Christ in the winter season.

Borough of Bellefonte

The Borough of Bellefonte is committed to working collaboratively to maintain a safe and secure family friendly community; to providing the public with premium, prompt, courteous service in a cost effective manner; and to managing community development to protect natural and cultural resources.

Centre County Conservation District

The Centre County Conservation District administers the soil and water conservation programs as a part of the county government. They are responsible for education, enforcement, and assistance with program participants. The CCCD is a collaborative effort with a seven-member board of public, farm, and commissioner directors.

Centre Region Council of Governments

The Centre Region Council of Governments is a voluntary association that represents the State College Borough and College, Ferguson, Halfmoon, Harris, and Patton Townships. Centre Region COG is comprised of seven committees that include a member from each of the locales. The committees include: Executive, Finance, Human Resources, Parks Capital, Public Safety, Public Services & Environmental and Transportation & Land Use. Together, the committees and locales develop fiscally responsible and high quality programs for their 93,000 constituents.

Ferguson Township

Ferguson Township is located right outside State College and is home to roughly 18,000 residents. The township is characterized by its open spaces and farmlands, many of which have been put into conservation easements and will be preserved into the future. Ferguson Township has also been declared a Certified Gold Community by Sustainable Pennsylvania.

Foxdale Village

Foxdale Village was founded in 1985 as a not-for-profit, Quaker directed community. Foxdale occupies a 21-acre campus that gives its 262 residential living residents a beautiful and comfortable place to call home for continued care in retirement. The Sustainable Communities Collaborative worked closely with the resident-led “Green Committee.” Members work with both the apartment and cottage living communities to enhance existing environmental efforts and hold discussions around sustainability.

Friends and Farmers

Friends and Farmers is a member-owned business seeking to create a full-time grocery store devoted to sourcing food and products locally. They currently have 455 member-owners and operate an online market. Friends and Farmers mission includes supporting the local economy, providing healthy foods, and bringing the community together. 

Half Moon Township

Halfmoon Township is a rural area that was incorporated in 1847 and has long been a major source of agricultural products. This rural atmosphere, with a low population density of 2,357 residents as of 2000 and proximity to the cultural attractions of Penn State University, has become appealing to people who have historically dwelled in or near a city.

Minitab

Minitab Statistical Software was created in 1972 by three Penn State professors to help students more easily understand statistics concepts. Today, 90 percent of Fortune 100 companies use Minitab Statistical Software. There are also many more data analysis tools available through Minitab that assist clients to “discover valuable insights in their data.” 

The Nature Inn at Bald Eagle

The Nature Inn is located within Bald Eagle State Park, giving visitors a chance for outdoor adventures and activities. The Inn is Gold LEED certified for its amazing efforts to green their amenities and operations through habitat restoration, rainwater harvesting, in-room energy monitors, Green Seal Certified cleaning products, and much more. 

New Leaf Initiative

New Leaf Initiative is a co-working space that brings together community members, students, government, and business to “work better, together.” The co-working space provides a location for these groups to increase their collaboration and efficiency. New Leaf also provides and directs innovators to resources that can take their ideas to the next level. 

Penn State’s Office of the Physical Plant

Penn State’s Office of the Physical Plant provides the services necessary to keep the university running. These services include ones related to stormwater, energy, building design, waste management, and landscaping. The Office of the Physical Plant is committed to sustainability through the möbius recycling program, energy savings program, energy conservation measures, LEED standards, electric fleet vehicles and more.

Penn State’s Performing Arts Council

Penn State’s Performing Arts Council is a student organization housed under Penn State’s Student Affairs that began in late 2014. The council is a collaboration of performing arts groups that works to achieve the goals of the organizations and of performing arts generally. The group has played a part in the THAW music festival, Arts Fest, and artsUP. 

Spring Creek Watershed Association

The Spring Creek Watershed Association plays a major part in ensuring and measuring the quality of the Spring Creek watershed. With this mission, the group promotes sound environmental and economic practices and educates citizens about watershed impacts and protection. 

State College Area School District

State College Area School District is a large, suburban public school district based in State College that serves students in this borough and surrounding townships. Their mission is to prepare students for lifelong success through excellence in education.

State College Borough

The State College Borough has been an SCC partner since the beginning in 2013. The borough is home to more than 42,000 residents, 75 percent of whom are Penn State students. The borough strives to create a community that entices visitors with their many historic, social, and retail attractions - but also a diverse community that can be home to students, young professionals, internationals, and retirees alike. Having committed to a Climate Protection Community in 2007, the Borough has also taken many steps to make State College an environmentally friendly community, such as purchasing green energy, installing rain gardens, recycling food waste, and restoring wetlands. Many areas of State College are also bike- and pedestrian-friendly, with an ever-increasing number of bikeways. As put by the Mayor of State College, “We are committed to a green lifestyle, reducing our energy footprint, and sharing what we have learned with our residents so that the entire State College community can work together to further our broad environmental commitment.” [2011 State College Borough Annual Report]

Walker Township

Walker Township is a township in Centre County and It is part of the State College, Metropolitan Statistical Area. It has some of the largest and best iron ore banks in Centre County. Walker Township also had the first FHA financed water system in the United States. Settled in 1792, the population as of the 2010 Census is 4,433.

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Contact:

Michele Halsell
mwh16@psu.edu, 814-867-4578

Past SCC Projects

The SCC Annual Reports below highlight projects completed in previous academic years. Find out more about Penn State's Sustainability Institute, SCC, community partners and project outcomes. 

SCC 2015-16 Annual Report

SCC 2014-15 Annual Report

SCC 2013-14 Annual Report

Spring 2017 Projects

Fall 2016 Projects

Awareness Campaign for the Health Benefits of Green Spaces

Students will research the restorative health benefits of spending time outside in campus green spaces and design appropriate messages for a semester campaign to share their findings with the university community. 
Course: LER 460: Human Resource Ethics
Faculty: Tom Hogan
Partner: Shaver's Creek Environmental Center

Student Engagement in the Arts

Students will develop and deploy an assessment tool to determine the profile of a student who is or could be highly engaged with the arts. The desired outcome is to identify students who are primed to be engaged with CPA.
Course: LER 460: Human Resource Ethics
Faculty: Tom Hogan
Partner: Center for the Performing Arts

State College Borough Employee Engagement & Diversity

LER 460 students will create a framwork for the State College Borough to develop and maintain a program where the HR staff can recruit a broader diversity in their civilian and police workforce. 
Course: LER 460: Human Resource Ethics
Faculty: Tom Hogan
Partner: State College Borough

State College Borough Pedestrian and Vehicular Safety Awareness

COMM 473 students will continue working on a campaign to raise awareness and provide information to motorists and pedestrians of State College. The campaign will promote safety throughout the borough and enhance the borough’s reputation as a pedestrian-friendly and bike-friendly community. Course: COMM 473: Public Relations Campaigns
Faculty: Tara Wyckoff
Community Partner: State College Police Department

Municipal Park Programming & Resident Engagement

A team of CED 475 students will conduct a community needs assessment  for Halfmoon Township, focused on identifying residents’ interests in recreational  programming at their Autumn Meadow Park. The township will use the project findings as the basis for preparing a township recreational plan, and potentially for grants. Course: CED 475: Integrated Capstone Experience
Faculty: Tim Kelsey
Community Partner: Half Moon Township

Stormwater Design of Walker Township

The task of the BE 460 students is to document and quantify stormwater challenges at the Cree Manor housing development in Walker Township and to assess and design possible solutions such as: re-design the stormwater outlet structure for the development, investigate whether water could be diverted, and consider whether best management practices (e.g., rain garden, rain barrel) implemented by homeowners would be effective.
Course: BE 460: Design of Stormwater and Erosion Control Facilities
Faculty: Heather Gall and Megan Marshall
Partner: Walker Township

Site Design of Musser Lane Recycling Facility

Two teams of BE 460 students will work on projects for the Bellefonte Borough Composting Facility. One team will design a composting process that will result in a sellable product that can be purchased by residents. The second team will design the site layout of the composting facility by considering several factors and adhering to regulation required for permitting. Course: BE 460: Design of Stormwater and Erosion Control Facilities
Faculty: Megan Marshall
Partner: Bellefonte Borough

Stormwater Design of Park Hills Drainage Way

Two teams will continue the previous project to mitigate stormwater issues in Park Hills. Students will propose solutions to erosion and flooding problems that are both cost effective and meet the needs of the community.  Course: BE 460: Design of Stormwater and Erosion Control Facilities
Faculty:  Megan Marshall
Partner: Ferguson Township

Water Quality Monitoring of Halfmoon Creek and Buffalo Run

Students in ASM/ERM 309 will install water monitoring equipment at Halfmoon Creek and Buffalo Run to measure dissolved oxygen, water level, and rainfall. They will create technical maps of land uses in the watershed and create a comprehensive report of the water quality and land use findings. Course: ASM/ERM 309: Measuring and Monitoring of Hydrologic Systems
Faculty: Heather Gall
Community Partner: Ann Donovan, Centre County Conservation Corps

Disaster Recovery & Resiliency Planning

The State College Borough does not have one overarching risk assessment and response plan. The students' task is to identify relevant and potential risks and disasters and develop a risk analysis which future classes will be able to build off of in order to develop the Borough's recovery and resiliency planning. Course: IST 440: Information Sciences & Technology Integration & Problem Solving
Faculty: Michael Hills and John Hill
Partner: State College Borough

Images and Narratives

Sharing the SCC Story
Capturing the story of the SCC and its affiliated projects and collaborators through photographic narratives.Faculty: Steve Rubin
Course: PHOTO 402: Photographic Narratives | College of Arts & Architecture - School of Visual Arts
Community Partner: State College Borough

Spring 2016 Projects

Wind and Solar Power Battery Marketing at Music Festivals

Students will create a marketing plan for the Penn State Collegiate Wind Competition Team’s start-up spin off, PowerPlay. The business will provide portable batteries at music festivals that utilize wind and solar energy to recharge. The marketing plan will be understood and relatable to all age groups since music festivals offer a variety of attendees. 

Course: BA 442: Sustainable Behaviors of Consumers, Firms, and Societies
Faculty: Karen Winterich
Partner: Penn State Collegiate Wind Competition Team

Recycling Marketing Plan for Foxdale Village

This project will expand on a past SCC project in spring 2015 that evaluated Foxdale’s recycling program. Students will identify ways to motivate residents to recycle and how to increase interest in sustainability as a community and as individuals.  Course: BA 442: Sustainable Behaviors of Consumers, Firms, and Societies
Faculty: Karen Winterich
Partner: Foxdale Village 

Re-branding for Mobius Recycling Program

Students will determine the effectiveness of the Mobius brand at raising students’ awareness of the university’s waste management efforts. The study will focus on multiple audiences: students, faculty, staff, and the public. Course: BA 442: Sustainable Behaviors of Consumers, Firms, and Societies
Faculty: Karen Winterich
Partner: Penn State’s Sustainability Institute

Recycling Marketing Plan for State College Borough

The borough requires participation in a recycling program of all residents. It has found that management practices can have little effect on the actions of residents to recycle. Students will work with a landlord/property to develop a marketing plan to increase compliance with the policy.  Course: BA 442: Sustainable Behaviors of Consumers, Firms, and Societies
Faculty: Karen Winterich
Partner: Penn State’s Sustainability Institute

Penn State Dorm Recycling

Penn State seeks to increase the recycling rate in East Halls. Students will assist by identifying barriers to recycling through various research methods such as observations, interviews, and surveys.  Course: BA 442: Sustainable Behaviors of Consumers, Firms, and Societies
Faculty: Karen Winterich
Partner: State College Borough

Green Marketing Plan for the Nature Inn

Students will be divided into three groups to support the design of potential marketing approaches at the Nature Inn. Two groups will focus on website design and function, eco-tourism certifications, and benchmarking against comparable national and local hotels. The third group will devise a comprehensive marketing strategy for the Inn that includes flyers, press releases, etc. Course: BA 442: Sustainable Behaviors of Consumers, Firms, and Societies
Faculty: Karen Winterich
Partner: The Nature Inn

Compost Program Marketing for the State College Borough

Building on past research from an SCC project in spring 2015, students will create a marketing plan to increase the sale of borough compost to residents and businesses. The plan will include possible channels for sales and marketing materials.   Course: BA 442: Sustainable Behaviors of Consumers, Firms, and Societies
Faculty: Karen Winterich
Partner: State College Borough

Stormwater Design of Suburban Park and Park Hills

Three teams will create plans to mitigate stormwater issues in Suburban Park and Park Hills. Students will propose solutions to erosion and flooding problems that are both cost effective and meet the needs of the community.  Course: BE 467: Design of Stormwater and Erosion Control Facilities
Faculty: Heather Gall and Megan Marshall
Partner: Ferguson Township

Methane Digester Feasibility Study

Students will evaluate the feasibility of a methane digester in State College. They will consider whether the project is economically viable under the assumption that the collected methane gas would be sold to electric companies and the left over, nutrient rich fertilizer could be sold to the community.   Course: BE 467: Design of Stormwater and Erosion Control Facilities
Faculty: Heather Gall and Megan Marshall
Partner: State College Borough

Local Economic Resiliency Dashboard

Students will conduct background research on the design for a local economic resiliency dashboard. The dashboard would be used for communities to determine the economic strength. The project will focus on identifying the components of such a dashboard, potential audiences, and data sources for creating the tool. Course: CED 475: CED Integrated Capstone 
Faculty: Tim Kelsey
Partner: New Leaf Initiative

PR Plan for Online Farmers’ Market

Students will create a plan to increase awareness and support of the Friends and Farmers Cooperative. The plan will target University faculty and staff, students, and the general community and determine the best channels to reach these audiences. It will utilize storytelling as a major marketing strategy and define how the campaign can be measured for impact. Course: COMM 473: Public Relations Campaigns
Faculty: Tara Wyckoff
Partner: Friends and Farmers

PR Plan for Sustainable Food Systems Program

Students will create a PR campaign that determines how to engage various audiences in the Sustainable Food Systems Program. It will include what specific messaging to use dependent on audience and how to communicate these messages in an effective way.  Course: COMM 473: Public Relations Campaigns
Faculty: Tara Wyckoff
Partner: Penn State’s Sustainability Institute, Sustainable Food Systems

GHG Inventory of Penn State Commuters

Students will develop a method to calculate the greenhouse gas emissions of Penn State student and staff commuters. The project will utilize Penn State specific data such as CATA miles and population changes at University Park. The method will be replicable to Commonwealth Campuses. Course: EGEE 495: Energy and Sustainability Policy Internship
Faculty: Brandi Robinson
Partner: Penn State’s Office of the Physical Plant

Residential Stormwater Management

Students will hold a residential stormwater management workshop with Ferguson Township. The workshop will educate homeowners about problems associated with stormwater runoff, tools they can use to reduce runoff, and encourage them to adopt best management practices.  Course: ERM 497A: The Chesapeake Bay Watershed
Faculty: Matt Royer
Partner: Ferguson Township

CNG Vehicle Wrap

Students will design a vehicle wrap for two new compressed natural gas vehicles to be used on campus. The wrap will include elements that communicate the environmental friendliness of the vehicles as an educational component.  Course: GD 304: Practical Communications 
Faculty: Ryan Russell
Partner: Penn State’s Transportation Department

Student Sustainability Attitudes, Values, and Behaviors

Students will design, conduct, and analyze a survey that will aid in understanding undergraduates students’ knowledge, concern, and behaviors related to the environment. The survey will be distributed to roughly 10,000 students and provide correlations between various demographic information and environmental awareness, perceptions, and actions. Course: HDNRE Colloquium 
Faculty: Alan Graefe and Jim Finley
Partner: Penn State’s Sustainability Institute

Role of the Arts in Workforce Skill Development

Students will collect research on how the arts contribute to healthy, productive workplaces and how the arts have been incorporated. With this information, the project will develop strategies and models for businesses to include the arts in their workforce skill development. Course: LER 460: Human Resource Ethics
Faculty: Tom Hogan
Partner: Penn State’s Performing Arts Council

Employee Engagement for Sustainability

Students will benchmark MiniTab against other businesses in regards to employee engagement. Specifically, the project will focus on sustainability and corporate recycling. The resulting product will be a set of recommendations that will help MiniTab improve employee engagement and competitiveness.  Course: LER 460: Human Resource Ethics
Faculty: Tom Hogan
Partner: MiniTab

Sustainability Employee Training

This project will continue the fall 2015 project to produce a module for new and existing employee training. The module will encourage and support the corporate culture of the borough as a sustainable community.

  Course: LER 460: Human Resource Ethics
Faculty: Tom Hogan
Partner: State College Borough

Green Power Marketing Part II

A past SCC project in spring 2014 determined residents’ interest in purchasing green power. The project will add to this past research by testing the effectiveness of different messages that will determine how signing up would be improved. Possibly options could be educating residents about the relevance of choosing an energy provider and providing assistance to sign up. Course: PSYCH 297: Senior Seminar in Psychology
Faculty: Janet Swim
Partner: State College Borough

Energy Planning in the State College Borough

The borough seeks to understand the local perception of a community-based energy generation system. Students will help by identifying stakeholders, relevant issues, and potential opportunities, planning and facilitating discussions, and summarizing their findings in a final report.  Course: SKILS 972: Mediation of Environmental and Public Conflict
Faculty: Lara Fowler
Partner: State College Borough

 

Fall 2015 Projects

Impacts of Development on Stream Health and Trout Fishing

Students in CED 309 will create maps and other tools to help educate local leaders and the general public about the impacts of development and land use on Spring Creek Watershed and its role as an economic asset to the community.
Course: CED 309: Land Use Dynamics
Faculty: Kate Zipp
Community Partner: Judi Sittler, Spring Creek Watershed

Economic Loss Due to the Emerald Ash Borer

Students in CED 309 will estimate the loss of ash trees to the emerald ash borer, explore strategies to maximize the value of removed trees, and analyze the impact of tree loss on property values and the perceptions of public investment in tree planting.

Course: CED 309: Land Use Dynamics
Faculty: Kate Zipp
Community Partner: Alan Sam, State College Borough

Residents’ Attitudes Toward the Spring Creek Watershed

CED 475 students will design, conduct, and analyze a survey to determine residents’ awareness of Spring Creek Watershed, their knowledge and use of stream-friendly behaviors, and their attitudes toward policy options which would help maintain a healthy watershed.

Course: CED 475: Integrated Capstone Experience
Faculty: Tim Kelsey
Community Partner: Judi Sittler, Spring Creek Watershed

Water Quality Monitoring of Halfmoon Creek and Buffalo Run

Students in ASM/ERM 309 will install water monitoring equipment at Halfmoon Creek and Buffalo Run to measure dissolved oxygen, water level, and rainfall. They will create technical maps of land uses in the watershed and create a comprehensive report of the water quality and land use findings.

Course: ASM/ERM 309: Measuring and Monitoring of Hydrologic Systems
Faculty: Heather Gall
Community Partner: Ann Donovan, Centre County Conservation Corps

State College Borough Pedestrian and Vehicular Safety Awareness

COMM 473 students will create a campaign to raise awareness and provide information to motorists and pedestrians of State College. The campaign will promote safety throughout the borough and enhance the borough’s reputation as a pedestrian-friendly and bike-friendly community.

Course: COMM 473: Public Relations Campaigns
Faculty: Tara Wyckoff
Community Partner: Chief King and Captain Wilson, State College Police Department

Operational Traffic Performance on the Atherton Street Corridor 

Students in CE 423 will focus on the operational performance of the Atherton Street corridor from Park Avenue to Beaver Avenue. Teams will collect data at signalized intersections, such as signal timing, and create recommendations to improve vehicle travel throughout the corridor. The students will specifically discuss how their data and recommendations might influence the safety performance of the Park Avenue and Atherton Street intersection. 

Course: CE 423: Traffic Operations
Faculty: Vikash Gayah
Community Partner: Amy Kerner and Captain Wilson, State College Borough

Traffic Safety at Park Avenue and Atherton Street Intersection

Students in CE 528 will evaluate the safety Atherton Street by identifying signalized intersections with potential for safety improvement by applying the AASHTO Highway Safety Manual safety management process. Specifically, safety problems at the Park Avenue and Atherton Street intersection will be diagnosed by applying this framework and reviewing video data.

Course: CE 528: Transportation Safety Analysis
Faculty: Eric Donnell
Community Partner: Amy Kerner and Captain Wilson, State College Borough

Bike Path Location Evaluation

The State College Borough plans to build a bike connector path along Easterly and Westerly Parkway between the State College Area High School and Easterly Parkway Elementary. A group of students in CED 309 will analyze the best options for construction of the bike path, taking into account intersecting streets and curb cuts for driveways, as these impact both safety for pedestrians and cyclists as well as project costs.

Course: CED 309: Land Use Dynamics
Faculty: Kate Zipp
Community Partner: Alan Sam, State College Borough

Expansion of the Discovery Space Children’s Museum

Students in ARCH 431 will create a design for the Allen Street Civic District. Specifically, students will focus on redesigning the former Verizon Building on Allen Street to accommodate an expansion of the Discovery Space Children’s Museum and to provide a cultural and community hub for the State College Borough.

Course: ARCH 431: 4th Year Studio
Faculty: Lisa Iulo and Eric Sutherland
Community Partner: Edward LeClear, Discovery Space Children’s Museum

Human Resources Sustainability Training Modules

Students in LER 460 will create training modules for existing or onboarding new employees. Relevant information will include the definition of a sustainable community, past and present sustainability initiatives of the State College Borough, and details to incorporate these initiatives into employees’ work.

Course: LER 460: Human Resource Ethics
Faculty: Tom Hogan
Community Partner: Cynthia Hanscom, State College Borough

Renewable Energy Policy Benchmarking

Students in CED 475 will determine feasible renewable energy sources for the borough to explore, research current borough rules and regulations, and make recommendations for what the borough should do to encourage greater use of renewable energy sources.

Course: CED 475: Integrated Capstone Experience
Faculty: Tim Kelsey
Community Partner: Mark Whitfield, State College Borough

Cost-Benefit Analysis of LED Street Lights

Students in PHIL 118H will use existing data about street lights in the borough to estimate current energy use and current GHG emissions attributable to street lights, calculate the cost of switching to LED lights, estimate energy and GHG emission reductions from switching to LED lights, identify potential rebate/funding sources to help defray the cost of switching to LEDs, estimate cost savings and payback.

Course: PHIL 118H: Environmental Philosophy
Faculty: Mark Sentesy
Community Partner: Alan Sam, State College Borough

Images and Narratives

Sharing the SCC Story
Capturing the story of the SCC and its affiliated projects and collaborators through photographic narratives. Faculty: Steve Rubin
Course: PHOTO 402: Photographic Narratives | College of Arts & Architecture - School of Visual Arts
Community Partner: State College Borough

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Contact:

Michele Halsell
mwh16@psu.edu, 814-867-4578

 

Faculty

Lauren Abbott
Department of Recreation, Parks, and Tourism Management

Course: RPTM 433

Project: Skate Park (Spring 2017)

 

Lee Ahern
Department of Advertising and Public Relations

Course: COMM 420: Research Methods in Advertising and Public Relations

Project: Foxdale Village Recycling Program (Spring 2015)

 

Birgitta Baker
Department of Recreation, Parks, and Tourism Management

Course: RPTM 433W

Project: Centred Outdoors: Human Health Benefits Analysis (Spring 2017)

 

Rob Berghage
Department of Plant Science

Course: PLANT 461

Project: Community Gardens (Spring 2017)

 

Mallika Bose
Department of Landscape Architecture

Courses: LARCH 424: Design Theory Seminar

LARCH 510: Graduate Seminar in Landscape Architecture

Projects: The West End Project (Fall 2013)
Navigating Downtown State College (Fall 2013)
 

Peter Buckland
Department of Education

Course: EDTHP 297

Project: Corl Street School LEED Innovation Credit (Spring 2017)

 

Robert Brooks
Department of Geography

Course: GEOG 550, GEOG 10

Project: Eco-System Services Analysis: Environmental Benefits (Spring 2017)

 

Jeffrey Brownson
Department of Energy and Mineral Engineering

Course: EGEE 437

Project: Solar Feasibility: Student Farm, Ferguson Township, McAlevy’s Fort (Spring 2017)

 

Ed Coulson
Department of Economics

Course: RM 450: Contemporary Issues in Real Estate

Project: Sustaining Quality Neighborhoods (Spring 2014)

 

Eric Donnell
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering

Course: CE 528: Transportation Safety Analysis

Project: Traffic Safety at Park Avenue and Atherton Street Intersection (Fall 2015)

 

Stuart Echols
Department of Landscape Architecture

Course: LARCH 431: Landscape Architectural Design Implementation III

Project: Stormwater Management (Fall 2013)

 

 

Jim Finley
Department of Ecosystem Science and Management

Course: HDNRE Colloquium

Project: Students’ Sustainability Attitudes and Behaviors (Spring 2017)

 

Erik Foley
Director of Sustainability, Smeal College of Business

Course: BA 442: Sustainability Behavior of Consumers, Firms, and Societies

Project: Compost Marketing Strategies (Spring 2015)

 

 

Lara Fowler
Penn State Law

Course: SKILS 972: Mediation of Environmental and Public Conflict

Project: Facilitating Stormwater Discussions (Fall 2014), Energy Planning in the State College Borough (Spring 2016)

 

 

 

 

 

Lori Frances
Department of Biobehavioral Health

Course: BBH 416: Health Promotion II

Project: Biking in the Region (Fall 2013)

 

 

 

 

 

Heather Gall
Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering

Course: BE 467: Design of Stormwater and Erosion Control Facilities

Projects: Stormwater and Erosion Remediation (Fall 2014)
Water Quality Monitoring of Halfmoon Creek and Buffalo Run (Fall 2015, Spring 2016, and Fall 2016)

 

Vikash Gayah
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering

Course: CE 423: Traffic Operations

Project: Operational Traffic Performance on the Atherton St. Corridor (Fall 2015)

 

Alison Gernand
Department of Nutritional Sciences

Course: NUTR 456

Projects: Back Pack Nutrition Assessment (Spring 2017)

 

 

 

 

 

Alan Graefe
Department of Recreation, Park, and Tourism Management

Course: HDNRE Colloquium

Project: Students’ Sustainability Attitudes and Behaviors (Spring 2017)

 

Denson Groenendaal
Department of Architecture

Course: ARCH 442

Projects: McAlevey's Fort, Muncy (Spring 2017)

 

Michael Hills
College of Information, Science, & Technology

Course:  IST 440

Projects: Resilience & Disaster Recovery Panning Part II (Fall 2016 and Spring 2017)

 

 

 

Tom Hogan
Department of Human Resource Management

Course: LER 460: Human Resource Ethics

Projects: Management of Human Capital (Fall 2013 and Spring 2014), Net Zero Energy Initiative (Fall 2014 and Spring 2015), Human Resources Sustainability Training Modules (Fall 2015), Sustainability Employee Training (Spring 2016), Employee Engagement for Sustainability (Spring 2016), Role of Arts in Workforce Skill Development (Spring 2016), Employee Engagement & Diversity (Fall 2016 & Spring 2017); HR Onboarding Tools (Spring 2017)

 

Lisa Iulo
Department of Architecture

Course: ARCH 431: 4th Year Studio

Project: Expansion of the Children’s Space Discovery Museum (Fall 2015), BASD Sustainable Gardens & Teaching Center (Spring 2017)

  

 

Heather Karsten
Department of Plant Science

Course: PLANT 461

Project: Community Gardens, BASD Sustainable Gardens (Spring 2017)

 

Timothy Kelsey
Department of Agricultural Economics, Sociology, and Education

Course: CED 475: CED Integrated Capstone

Projects: Residential Composting Evaluation (Spring 2014), Live and Work: Sustainability of Downtown (Spring 2014), Residential Organics Recycling Program (Spring 2015), Residents’ Attitudes toward the Spring Creek Watershed (Fall 2015), Renewable Energy Policy Benchmarking (Fall 2015), Local Economic Resiliency Dashboard (Spring 2016), Halfmoon Twp. Public Park Programming (Fall 2016)

 

Megan Marshall
Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering

Course: BE 467: Design of Stormwater and Erosion Control Facilities

Project: Stormwater Design of Suburban Park and Park Hills (2015/2016); Stormwater Design Cree Manor, Bellefonte Composting Site; Park Hills (2016/2017)
 

 

 

 

Brandi Robinson
Department of Energy and Mineral Engineering

Course: EGEE 495: Energy and Sustainability Policy Internship

Project: GHG Inventory for Penn State Transportation (Spring 2016)

 

Matt Royer
Agriculture and Environment Center

Project: Implementing the Homeowner’s Guide to Stormwater (Spring 2015), Residential Stormwater Management (Spring 2016)

 

Steven Rubin
School of Visual Arts

Course: PHOTO 402: Photographic Narratives

Project: Sharing the SCC Story (Fall 2014, Spring 2015, Fall 2015, 2016/2017)

 

Ryan Russell

Department of Graphic Design

Course: GD 304: Practical Communications

Project: CNG Vehicle Wrap (Spring 2016), Centred Outdoors Visual Identity (Spring 2017)

 

 

Mark Sentesy
Department of Philosophy

Course: PHIL 118H: Environmental Philosophy

Project: Cost-Benefit Analysis of LED Street Lights (Fall 2015)

 

 

John Spychalski
Department of Supply Chain and Information Systems

Student: Jordan Schaeffer, Schreyer Honors College

Project: Sustainable Asset Management (Fall 2013)

 

 

 

 

Eric Sutherland
Department of Architecture

Course: ARCH 431: 4^th Year Studio

Project: Expansion of the Children’s Space Discovery Museum (Fall 2015), BASD Sustainable Gardens & Teaching Center (Spring 2017)

 

 

 

Janet Swim
Department of Psychology

Course: PSYCH 490: Senior Seminar in Psychology

Project: Green Power Choice (Spring 2014), Green Power Marketing (Spring 2016)

 

Ross Weinreb
Department of Architecture

Course: ARCH 442

Project:  Muncy: Flood Resilient Design (Spring 2017)

 

Karen Winterich
Marketing Department

Course: BA 442: Sustainable Behavior of Consumers, Firms, and Societies

Projects: Wind Power Marketing (Spring 2016), Recycling Marketing Plan for Foxdale Village (Spring 2016), Recycling Marketing Plan for the State College Borough (Spring 2016), Mobius Recycling Program Re-Branding (Spring 2016), Penn State Dorm Recycling (Spring 2016), Green Marketing Plan for the Nature Inn (Spring 2016)

 

Tara Wyckoff
Department of Advertising and Public Relations

Course: COMM 473: Public Relations Campaigns

Projects: State College Borough Pedestrian and Vehicular Safety Awareness (Fall 2015, Spring 2016, Spring 2017), PR Plan for the Student Farm (Spring 2016), PR Plan for Online Farmers' Market (Spring 2016), Centred Outdoors PR Campaign (Spring 2017)

 

Brent Yarnal

Department of Geography

Course: GEOG 494: Research Project in Geography

Project: GHG Inventory for the State College Borough (Spring 2016)

 

Kate Zipp

Department of Agricultural Economics, Sociology, and Education

Course: CED 309: Land Use Dynamics

Projects: Impacts of Development on Stream Health (Fall 2015), Economic Loss Due to the Emerald Ash Borer (Fall 2015) Bike Path Location Evaluation (Fall 2015)

 

 

 

 

In the media

The Sustainable Communities Collaborative (SCC) has been featured in local publications in print and online. The SCC has also been featured in Penn State News.  

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Town, gown come together for Sustainability Expo
Centre Daily Times  (4/25/2017)
Town and gown came together on Monday evening for the Campus and Community Sustainability Expo.
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Students showcase sustainability projects at the Campus and Community Sustainability Expo
The Daily Collegian (4/25/2017)
On Monday, April 24, the State College Borough Building featured the Campus and Community Sustainability EXPO, where students showcased projects focused on sustainability.
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Bellefonte teacher's vision for land behind school to benefit local students
Centre Daily Times (3/4/2017)
More than 100 acres of land sits behind Bellefonte Area High School, and teacher Myken Poorman is looking to develop 2 to 3 acres for educational and community use.
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Penn State students host "Stop in the Name of Love' to promote pedestrian safety
The Daily Collegian (2/14/2017)
Penn State public relations students and the State College Police Department hosted “Stop in the Name of Love,” a Valentine’s themed event to promote traffic and pedestrian safety at the Allen Street gates Monday.
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Penn State students bring traffic safety to forefront
WJAC (2/13/2017)
Penn State students are bringing awareness to traffic safety downtown through online social media contests in which people can share their stories of close calls with cars while crossing the street.
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IST students team up with local government to create disaster recovery plan
Penn State News (2/10/2017)
The threats facing any municipal government are nearly infinite, ranging from a mild snowstorm to a full-fledged terrorist attack, and their impacts span from minor to severe.
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Penn State students present sustainability projects
Centre Daily Times (4/26/2016)
As part of its 2016 Earth Day activities, Penn State hosted the spring Campus and Community Sustainability Expo at the State College Municipal Building on Monday.
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Students display environmentally friendly methods at Sustainability Expo
The Daily Collegian  (4/26/2016)
Penn State Sustainability Institute hosted the Campus and Community Sustainability Expo to display all the work that students and faculty have done in the past semester to incorporate sustainable and environmentally friendly ways toward everyday life on Monday night.
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Student and employee projects area a 'win-win' for the campus and community
Penn State News (4/6/2016)
Over 200 students and 100 Penn State employee teams have lent their expertise and passion to address sustainability topics at the University and community levels.
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Penn State students show off projects at sustainability expo
Centre Daily Times (12/3/2015)
The Penn State Sustainable Communities Collaborative held its Campus and Community Sustainability Expo on Thursday and packed the house.
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Sustainability Expo, highlighting student recommendations, will be held Dec. 3
Penn State News (11/17/2015)
Penn State students have researched and recommended sustainable solutions to address the needs of the University and surrounding area throughout the fall semester. 
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Possible changes to State College could make it more eco-friendly
The Daily Collegian (11/5/2015)
The State College Borough is once again teaming up with Penn State students in pursuit of their common goal to make State College rise to its fullest potential.
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Pedestrian safety addressed by Penn State, State College
The Daily Collegian (10/15/2015)
Since 2014, there has been three fatalities along Atherton Street. Of those three, one was Michael Eiben — a Penn State student.
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Penn State students draw attention to safety issues at North Atherton/Park Avenue intersection
Centre Daily Times (10/14/2015)
A group of Penn State students took to the streets Wednesday for a project that hopes to change a borough intersection’s grim past into a safer future.
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Students to hold traffic safety event after numerous fatal accidents
Onward State (10/14/2015)
A number of recent and fatal car crashes involving members of the Penn State community has inspired students enrolled in a public relations campaign course to speak out about the dangers of reckless and careless driving in State College, namely at the intersection of Atherton Street and Park Avenue.
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Penn State classes work to improve traffic safety at Atherton
The Daily Collegian (9/25/2015)
Even before the most recent student death of Michael Eiben at the intersection of Curtin Road and North Atherton Street, the State College Borough Council was well aware that changes needed to be made regarding traffic safety.
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Penn State students work with the State College borough to promote sustainability
The Daily Collegian (4/14/2015)
An attempt at expanding the State College Composting program has led a group of Penn State students to take on the task for a class project.
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Sustainable Communities Collaborative kick-off event to be held Jan. 29
Penn State News (1/20/2015)
The Sustainable Communities Collaborative at Penn State will celebrate the launch of several student-led projects at a kick-off event from 4-6 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 29, in the lobby of the municipal building at 243 S. Allen Street, State College. 
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Penn State and Borough collaborate on sustainability
WeAreCentralPA.com (12/11/2014)
The State College Borough and Penn State Sustainability Institute are wrapping up their pilot year of their partnership.
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The Sustainable Communities Collaborative Fall 2014 Closing Event Celebration
CNET (12/10/2014)
VIDEO: Penn State students present class projects from the 2014 Fall semester.
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Engineering Leadership Society envisions net-zero energy future for State College
The Daily Collegian (12/5/2014)
The Engineering Leadership Society is working collaboratively with the State College Borough in an effort to explore alternative energy sources to increase energy efficiency. As part of the Sustainable Communities Collaborative initiative, this project is the only one that is a year-long versus a semester-long ordeal, Alan Sam said.
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Students develop plans to mitigate storm water in public parks
The Daily Collegian (12/4/2014)
Students in Heather Gall’s Design of Storm Water and Erosion Control Facilities class — BE 467 — are collaborating with the State College Borough to investigate storm water mitigation in public parks.
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Photography students documenting sustainability projects
The Daily Collegian (12/3/2014)
Associate Professor of Art Steve Rubin believes in the power of a photograph. So he decided to include a semester-long photography project for his PHOTO 402 class. They are documenting each Sustainable Communities Collaborative project with their initiative, “Capturing Images and Narratives: Sharing the SCC Story.”
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Law school class hopes to resolve flooding from storm water downtown
The Daily Collegian (12/2/2014)
Through a semester-long project with the Sustainable Communities Collaborative, Fowler’s Mediation of Environmental and Public Conflicts class (SKILS 972) wants to bring storm water management problems to light.
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For State College, fossil-free future in the works
The Daily Collegian (12/1/2014)
Net zero energy systems utilize renewable resources — including wind, solar and geothermal power — to recycle the energy it needs to function. As a result, net zero communities reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and achieve independence from the traditional energy grid.
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State College, Penn State collaborate on sustainability initiative
Centre Daily Times (5/2/2014)
The latest partnership between State College and Penn State focuses on being environmentally conscious. The 2013-14 pilot program of the Sustainable Communities Collaborative has a goal of developing a relationship between Penn State and the surrounding community in which the university’s existing courses can be used to assist sustainability projects, according to its website.
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Penn State students help State College Borough go green
WJAC (4/30/2014)
State College Borough celebrated with Penn State students Tuesday after students shared a semester's worth of work on how the Borough can go a little greener. In the beginning of the semester, the Borough came to the university with its needs, which included evaluating the Borough's residential composting program and sustaining quality neighborhoods. The students presented their findings tonight.
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Sustainable Communities Collaborative, Spring 2014 Student Presentations
C-Net (4/29/2014)
VIDEO: Penn State students present class projects from the 2014 Spring semester.
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Sustainable Communities: A Collaborative Human Capital Management Project
C-Net (12/12/2013)
VIDEO: Presentations by Penn State students on recruiting employees and volunteers
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Penn State students offer ideas for revitalization of State College West End
Centre Daily Times (10/17/2013)
Penn State students are taking a crack at ideas to improve the West End, something the borough has discussed for decades. Students in a university course are researching and developing ideas for the area between South Atherton and South Buckhout streets as part of a new partnership between State College and Penn State. The borough has identified sustainability projects to meets its goals, and Penn State students will be a resource to plan and complete them.
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