Sustainability
Who We Are
To live and work sustainably means to perpetuate the health and welfare of people, economies, and the environment. Sustainability is about ensuring that all people - today and into the future - can live in healthy communities and participate in productive local economies without sacrificing environmental integrity. It’s a simple yet powerful concept that ties together human happiness and well-being with the quality and health of environmental systems. Thus, sustainability issues incorporate such wide-ranging topics as biodiversity loss, climate change, social justice, and more.
West Chester University seeks to be a leader in local, regional, and global sustainability efforts. This website documents the university’s efforts in sustainability and provides numerous resources for individuals, organizations, and communities.
Join us as we carry out the single most critical task of the 21st century!
Sustainability Story Map
Electronics Recycling
at WCU
Recycle your personal electronics at Sykes Student Union and Francis Harvey Green Library! Our partner PAR-Recycle Works is a nonprofit electronics recycler that provides transitional employment to people returning from prison. Please reference our flyer with information on acceptable items before dropping them off. Learn more about recycling on our initiatives page.
News and Upcoming Events
Share a Ride this September!
Did you know the University gives you free access to an app called Share-a-Ride that can help you find alternative transportation options? Find biking and walking routes, public transit routes, and find WCU students and employees you can carpool with. Share-a-Ride is free and secure. Your personal information is not shared with others.
Help us build a network of carpoolers to ensure that Golden Rams have access to transportation that helps them save money and lessen air pollution in our community. Learn more here.
Sustainability Research and Practice Seminar
The Sustainability Research and Practice Seminar Fall 2024 will begin on September
18th in Sykes 255 A/B and on Zoom. Click on the photo to the left for a PDF copy of
our schedule.
Park(ing) Day 2024
On September 20th from 9am-2pm, explore the possibility of a world where cars are de-centered and community and green space are at the center of what we do. Visit our installations on South Church Street throughout the day!
Converting Lawns to Meadow Habitat
Join the Office of Sustainability and the West Chester Green Team for a discussion of Converting Lawns to Meadow Habitat with Ryan Davis of the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay in SECC Ballroom A. At 6:30pm, the WCGT will be honoring male gardeners in the community and Ryan's talk will be immediately after at 7:30pm.
Care for the World through Poems: A Reading by Ramya Ramana
Poetry and creativity can be an act of caring for the world! Enjoy a poetry reading
by New York-based poet Ramya Ramana, former Youth Poet Laureate of New York City,
on October 22nd at 4:30pm in Philips Autograph Library. The reading will touch on ideas of social and environmental sustainability. And
don't miss Ramya in our Research and Practice seminar on October 23rd.
Environmental Progress in Chester County
Hosted in partnership with the West Chester Green Team, learn about the environmental
progress being made in Chester County and the county's future plans.
