Principles
The Sustainability Council operates with a commitment to transparency, inclusiveness, and respect, guided by a shared definition of sustainability: the simultaneous pursuit of human health and well-being, environmental quality, and economic vitality for current and future generations. This approach recognizes the interconnectedness of environment, culture, race, and human rights as essential components of social responsibility.
The council also integrates sustainability within the Ross and Carol Nese College of Nursing’s definition of health. Health, which fluctuates across the lifespan, is understood as a dynamic and holistic phenomenon in which wellness and illness coexist and interact. Individuals engage continuously with the totality of their environment, and the unique nature of this interaction shapes health outcomes. Health reflects evolving patterns of energy within individuals and between individuals and their environments, influenced by personal and collective beliefs, values, and lived experiences. Understanding and supporting health therefore requires ongoing assessment and attention to theories of human development, stress, disease, adaptation, lifestyle, and change.
By framing health through the lens of sustainability, the Ross and Carol Nese College of Nursing continues to identify new opportunities for action that advance health equity and contribute to a more sustainable world.
Purpose
The Sustainability Council will assist the Ross and Carol Nese College of Nursing in pursuing its mission through the following objectives:
- Develop and/or strengthen the connection with Penn State Sustainability and other professional organizations (e.g., Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments) that promote sustainability initiatives.
- Assist the college in integrating sustainability into the college’s strategic plan.
- Propose ways to create a responsive organization that supports initiatives that promote environmental health and stewardship of material resources with representatives from multiple campuses and roles, especially students.
This will be accomplished by:
- Maintaining college representation on Penn State Sustainability committee to keep abreast of new initiatives and to maximize opportunities
- Encouraging council members and nursing faculty to engage with professional organizations (e.g., Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments) that advance sustainability initiatives
- Continued administrative oversight and comprehensive support across all phases of the Sustainability Service Project program.
- Extending best practices in sustainability and environmental health across the college and the University
- Developing and maintaining guidelines for integrating sustainability into and aligning United Nations Sustainable Development Goals with the nursing curriculum.
- Promoting opportunities for integrating sustainability into the Ross and Carol Nese College of Nursing research
- Reviewing the progress of objectives and providing a report to the College Sustainability Council Reports
