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Sustainability at Shippensburg University

Shippensburg University is committed to making university life more sustainable. That’s why we have so many projects, practices, events and learning experiences aimed at achieving this goal.

The Environmental Steering Committee, made up of faculty, staff and students, is an important part of campus environmental wellness. Student groups and the constantly growing Center for Land Use and Sustainability are also vital to campus and community efforts to find solutions to sustainability challenges.

Doing our part to protect the planet starts on campus. Ship was the first PASSHE institution to complete a greenhouse gas assessment. Additionally, the push for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification is important to us and we’re proud to be the first campus to obtain a certified green school building in Pennsylvania for the Grace B. Luhrs University Elementary School. We’re proud of our other efforts such as:

  • Single-stream recycling
  • Recycling for batteries and electronics
  • The purchase of wind-generated electricity
  • Reducing carbon dioxide emissions through server virtualization
  • Residence hall item collection recycling
  • Our Campus Farm and community garden

Ship Dining is also a champion of sustainability programs such as Project Clean Plate, food recovery and more. Fryer oil from dining halls is transformed into biodiesel to run ceramic kilns thanks to collaboration with the Art and Design Department.

Our annual StewardSHIP Week brings the campus community together for sustainability focused programs and activities.

We’re constantly working to promote sustainable land use, economic development and cultural and natural resource management to communities at the local, regional and global level. Ship makes a difference through:

  • Volunteer and service opportunities like tree plantings and organized public space cleanups
  • Community initiatives through the Campus Farm
  • The Center for Land Use and Sustainability's service to Adams, Cumberland, Franklin, Fulton and Perry counties and beyond
  • Ship Dining's purchases from Pennsylvania farms

Sustainability isn’t just a part of the Ship lifestyle. It’s also woven into our learning. Several departments on campus offer courses and opportunities that emphasize environmental and sustainability topics. The Geography/Earth Science Department offers academic programs for land use and sustainability.

There are many student-faculty research projects, service-learning opportunities and internships related to sustainability through Ship as well. The university regularly pursues grant funding for learning-based sustainability efforts, participates in the Pennsylvania Consortium for Environmental Policy and has a Sustainable Scholars project.

Sustainability