Penn State Public Broadcasting: Commitment to sustainability

The Penn State Public Broadcasting (PSPB) Sustainability Pilot Unit Plan responds to the goals laid out for the University in the Sustainability Strategic Plan.

In response to those goals, PSPB is committed to the following

  • Including sustainability as a key component of our culture
  • Working to turn our surroundings into a living lab
  • Continuing to incorporate sustainability topics into our ongoing programming and media creation
  • Modeling sustainability through our actions and our commitment to Public Service Media that addresses sustainability challenges.

We look forward to continuing a partnership with the Sustainability Collaborative as our plan is implemented and to supporting the university as the Sustainability Strategic Plan is adopted.

Goal 1—Understand

Sustainability Literacy

Incorporate sustainability practices and learning opportunities into daily life acrossthe University, including in classrooms and research labs; service and program delivery; and within administrative and infrastructure support units. Incentivize, support and reward sustainability innovation.

  • Include sustainability as a key component of our culture, supported by Senior Management
  • Assemble and resource a dedicated team at PSPB to follow through on the plan and further investigate, implement, and make recommendations for the actions outlined
  • Create an ongoing internal communication strategy to educate and engage the staff at PSPB (All staff updates, signage, email, newsletter, new employee orientation)
  • Incorporate “sustainability and you” plan in the SRDP process
  • Consider sustainability and localism as contributing factors in purchasing decisions (technology, supplies, equipment, furniture)
  • Work with University partners to create an ongoing strategy to support sustainability literacy by providing media tools to educate and engage the University and local audiences, which may include:
  • We Are Sustainability video revision, completes early July, introduces the concept and Penn State potential
  • Asset sharing for sustainability education: will develop an infrastructure that provides PSPB assets on sustainability to faculty and students. This project will engage students in the work product. Additionally, we can develop a “perspective of the month” from interviews to use on (sustainability.psu.edu)

Goal 2—Act

Sustainability Challenges and Solutions

Develop means to readily recognize and respond to sustainability challenges.

  • Work towards Penn State Public Broadcasting as a living Lab
  • Increaseour participation in the Green Paws program run by the Sustainability Institite at Penn State, which implements high impact actions for units to “green” their workspace
  • Increase sustainable practices by individuals in our unit by using the communication plan to provideinformation around:
  • Recycling/Composting/Plastics Collection
  • Water Usage
  • Best Practices for Lights/Lamps/Space Heaters/Computers/Printing/Commuting
  • You could include reducing elevator and automatic door opener use for those who are able as well.
  • Support further investigation and recommendations by the assigned unit team for the following areas (among others):
  • Elimination of satellite spotlights
  • Recycling process linked to supply usage
  • Outlier recycling
  • Sustainable choices for the celebrations team
  • Printer review: location, use, pre-settings
  • Travel: business and to work, carbon offsets
  • Meetings: room technology standards, practices for off-site travel, carpooling
  • Lighting
  • Power strips
  • Technology point electrical usage
  • Window Shades
  • Remote Location Energy Use
  • Support the unit team in coordinating with appropriate partners within Outreach and at the University to address additional sustainability challenges, including:
  • A bus kiosk in the lobby of the Outreach building
  • Compost bins in the restrooms
  • Adding lids to all trash bins, making them equally difficult to use
  • Transition lobby lights to LED
  • Support the recommendation by John Deffenbaugh from PSU’s Commissioning Office to have the Outreach Building commissioned and receive an energy audit

Create strategies and programs to generate resources and recognition for sustainability solutions. Identify and develop strategic partnerships, both internal and external, to facilitate the advancement of sustainability solutions.

  • Establish and pursue expertise and financial resources for investment in sustainability focused media
  • Continue to develop external partnerships to advance the development and dissemination of sustainability programming
  • Partner with the University to highlight programming on television, radio and online that has a sustainability focus

Utilize the University’s research strengths and global reach to advance sustainability.

  • Continue to develop templates for the incorporation of PSPB products into research funding proposals with a sustainability focus

Develop effective infrastructure for communicating sustainability solutions both to inspire leadership in others and enhance literacy.

  • Work with the Collaborative to create media tools to communicate sustainability solutions. Examples of the types of tools we could create include:
  • The Living Lab – a short video to introduce the sustainability strategic plan

to all Penn State units. Would include examples of unit implementation. Purpose is to inspire innovation and present sustainability as a fundamental value of Penn State.

  • Re:Invention Stories - an on-going series of short videos that tie to the above. We have significant existing assets from the current We Are video.Expanded videos on Penn State energy reduction, high performance building, waste, water, etc. Each short video, 2-minutes, would explore specific activities.
  • Re:Invention - The More You Know… - a series of 15-second spots highlighting actions that have had significant impact: OPP, research, student actions. Can serve as website banners, or added to the beginning of videos (i.e. Penn State’s YouTube channel videos)
  • Online Interactive Game – We propose to build a pilot program of a web-based sustainability game. By collecting data on personal (and unit-level) activity around sustainability, and rewarding points for positive actions, we can help to encourage a culture that is not only interested in learning about sustainability, but is also moved to adopt sustainable techniques and changing daily personal patterns.
  • The committee strongly recommends that there be a single platform/portal/site for sustainability information at the university and that the media tools we create help to support that entity.

Goal 3—Inspire

Sustainability Leadership

Model, recognize, and reward individual behaviors that promote human health and happiness, environmental quality, and economic well being in a variety of settings.

  • Follow through on the commitments to Goals 1 and 2 so that we can be a model for other units in implementing unit plans
  • Workwith the collaborative to create a toolkit based on the experiences of ourselves and other pilot sites to assist other units in implementing unit plans
  • Model behaviors through a commitment to investigate additional sustainable choices with support from the University that would expand out living lab beyond our walls, such as:
  • Installation of cisterns for capturing water runoff
  • Replacing ground cover with low maintenance choices
  • Perennial and vegetable plantings to replace annuals
  • Reconfigure parking lot islands to serve as rain gardens
  • Install solar panels in parking lot to provide shade and energy
  • Installation of a solar array on the roof of the building
  • Prototyping support for alternative energy vehicles including metered electrical outlets for recharging while at work
  • More flexibility around mixing parking with alternative transportation

Engage with external stakeholders – businesses, organizations, governments, and communities – to understand and address sustainability challenges, practices, policies, and solutions

  • Partner with the University to seek support for significant large-scale Public Service Media Initiatives to understand and address sustainability challenges. Initiatives may include:
  • Real Scientists– is a platform to extend Penn State stories in service to STEM education and support of careers in science and engineering focused on sustainability. Would develop an initial series of 8 profiles of Penn State researchers and 8 digital learning objects.
  • Water Blues, Green Solutions – currently in production, a public service mediaproject on green infrastructure/value of ecosystem services. National distribution and visibility. Seeking funding externally.
  • Re:Invention– currently in development, a public service media project that ties invention to consequences and opportunity. A three part series of 60-minute broadcast programs, integrated website and outreach focused on the intersection of energy, transportation, food and the built environment. Underlying learning objectives:
  • Reconnect with nature/relationship to planet and resources
  • Whole systems approach
  • True cost accounting
  • Social justice/equity
  • People/planet/profit
  • National distribution and visibility