Sustainability efforts gain national attention

Perhaps PSU’s motto should be amended to “Let knowledge and sustainability serve the city.”
PSU has been selected as a finalist for Second Nature’s prestigious National Climate Leadership Award, in the Doctorate Granting University category. Simply being recognized is a huge honor and further demonstrates PSU’s commitment to sustainability.

The Academic and Student Rec Center features a rooftop garden, one of many sustainable features found on campus. Photo by Riza Liu.
The Academic and Student Rec Center features a rooftop garden, one of many sustainable features found on campus. Photo by Riza Liu.

Perhaps PSU’s motto should be amended to “Let knowledge and sustainability serve the city.”

PSU has been selected as a finalist for Second Nature’s prestigious National Climate Leadership Award, in the Doctorate Granting University category. Simply being recognized is a huge honor and further demonstrates PSU’s commitment to sustainability.

“PSU is a leader among leaders,” said Sarah Brylinsky, a program associate with Second Nature.
Second Nature was founded in 1993 and is part of the American College and University President’s Climate Commitment. It is based in Boston, Mass.

According to Second Nature’s website, this award highlights campus innovation and climate leadership to transition society to a clean, just and sustainable future.

This year, Second Nature received the highest number of applications ever from universities across the country, despite being limited to nominations by invitation only.

“Although there is no monetary compensation, this is a very prestigious award for recognizing sustainability among higher institutions,” Brylinsky said.

Brylinsky explained, to determine a victor, finalists will be evaluated by a panel at Second Nature. Winners will be announced in the spring.

In conjunction with this award, there will be a people’s choice component. Finalists will have the opportunity to create a short video to be featured on PlanetForward.org. The public can vote for their favorite videos during the month of April, which also happens to be Earth Month.

“These videos serve as a great form of publicity, further highlighting university achievements in sustainability,” Bylinsky said.

More information about the awards and Second Nature can be found at secondnature.org.