UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State Sustainability recently published a guidebook to support Penn State faculty in implementing sustainability into their curricula. The guidebook was created by Sustain Penn State, located within the Office of Undergraduate Education and one of the offices that makes up Penn State Sustainability. It provides frameworks for sustainability in the context of interdisciplinary liberal education, sustainability learning outcomes and examples from nursing, energy engineering, African studies, geography, music theory and more.
“The Penn’s Woods Project: A Sustainable Learning Guidebook for Educators” drew inspiration for its name from the state of Pennsylvania, which means "Penn's woods" or "Penn's land." Quaker William Penn was granted the tract of land by King Charles II of England in 1681. In 1863, Penn State became one of the nation's first and Pennsylvania's only land-grant institutions, with a three-part mission of teaching, research and service. The guidebook emphasizes the interdependence of these three parts with sustainability.
“The Penn’s Woods Project” is dedicated to the late ecologist and Penn State professor Chris Uhl, who devoted his life to the healthy relationships of all living beings and influenced thousands of Penn State students to create a more just and verdant world.
“Chris Uhl inspired people to connect with themselves, other people, and the world around them with deep curiosity, intention, and love," said Jennifer Anderson, associate director for the conservation and interpretation team at Shaver’s Creek Environmental Center, who began teaching "BISC 3: Environmental Science" in 2020 after Uhl’s retirement. “What he was striving for was an awakening to our deep connections rather than feeding ‘needs’ that are dictated by our culture. This open and connected way of actively choosing life changed the lives of many. Mine included.”
Peter Buck, courtesy associate teaching professor in the John and Willie Leone Family Department of Energy and Mineral Engineering and director for education in Sustain Penn State, echoed the sentiment.
"Chris Uhl had a profound impact on my professional trajectory," Buck said. "On my dissertation committee, he encouraged me to be honest, creative and courageous. As a teacher, he provided me with a powerful example of how to be open to students, to encourage curiosity with simple and consistent questions, and how to care for all life."
Uhl's implementation of sustainability in his classroom inspired environmental awareness in faculty and students alike, Buck said. “The Penn’s Woods Project: A Sustainable Learning Guidebook for Educators” aims to carry on his legacy by providing faculty with methods to integrate sustainability that are already in practice around the Penn State community.
“This small gesture is the least we can do to honor him," Buck said.
A full-length digital copy of “The Penn’s Woods Project: A Sustainable Learning Guidebook for Educators” may be accessed at the Penn State Sustainability website. For more information, contact Peter Buck at PeterBuck@psu.edu.