UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Eco Action, Penn State’s oldest student environmental club, in partnership with the Penn State Office of Physical Plant, will host a community engagement workshop on Sept. 7 at 6 p.m. at the Stuckeman Family Building. The goal is to gather input on the Sustainable Landscapes Implementation Plan, a project funded by the Student Fee Board’s Environmental Sustainability Fund. Registration for the event is not required and is open to the public.

The Sustainable Landscapes Implementation Plan is the result of collaborative work with landscape architectural design consultants, Stimson, Climate Positive Design and Phyto Studio, who have completed an analysis of all aspects of the University Park campus landscape and outlined a series of goals and objectives. With student, faculty and staff input, the consultants will develop recommendations and strategies that the Office of Physical Plant’s landscaping team can use to design and manage campus landscapes more sustainably.

The project aims to increase overall campus landscape sustainability and support the University’s carbon emissions reduction goals. The implementation plan is taking a practical, incremental approach to ensure economic viability and operational feasibility, in addition to its social, educational and ecological goals. 

Student involvement in both the planning and implementation has been a key contributor to success, with recent volunteer planting projects at the Arboretum as an example of how students can make an impact. Ultimately, the final implementation plan and report will identify a pilot project(s), in which students will be able to participate in the planning, planting and management of these new landscapes.

The workshop is open to the public and will include a 20-minute presentation from the project consultants, followed by break-out discussions and engagement opportunities with the project team. A casual reception will follow in the adjacent Korner Tower Terrace.