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
across the University, including in classrooms and research labs; service and
program delivery; and within administrative and infrastructure support units.
Incentivize, support and reward sustainability innovation.
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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:
o We Are Sustainability video revision, completes early July, introduces the
concept and Penn State potential
o 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.
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Work towards Penn State Public Broadcasting as a living Lab
Increase our 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 provide information around:
o Recycling/Composting/Plastics Collection
o Water Usage
o Best Practices for Lights/Lamps/Space
Heaters/Computers/Printing/Commuting
o 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):
o Elimination of satellite spotlights
o Recycling process linked to supply usage
o Outlier recycling
o Sustainable choices for the celebrations team
o Printer review: location, use, pre-settings
o Travel: business and to work, carbon offsets
o Meetings: room technology standards, practices for off-site travel,
carpooling
o Lighting
o Power strips
o Technology point electrical usage
o Window Shades
o 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:
o A bus kiosk in the lobby of the Outreach building
o Compost bins in the restrooms
o Adding lids to all trash bins, making them equally difficult to use
o 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.
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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.
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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.
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Work with the Collaborative to create media tools to communicate sustainability
solutions. Examples of the types of tools we could create include:
o 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.
o 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.
o 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)
o Online Interactive Game – We propose to build a pilot program of a webbased 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.
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Follow through on the commitments to Goals 1 and 2 so that we can be a model
for other units in implementing unit plans
Work with 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:
o Installation of cisterns for capturing water runoff
o Replacing ground cover with low maintenance choices
o Perennial and vegetable plantings to replace annuals
o Reconfigure parking lot islands to serve as rain gardens
o Install solar panels in parking lot to provide shade and energy
o Installation of a solar array on the roof of the building
o Prototyping support for alternative energy vehicles including metered
electrical outlets for recharging while at work
o 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
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Partner with the University to seek support for significant large-scale Public
Service Media Initiatives to understand and address sustainability challenges.
Initiatives may include:
o 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.
o Water Blues, Green Solutions – currently in production, a public service
media project on green infrastructure/value of ecosystem services.
National distribution and visibility. Seeking funding externally.
o 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