Dickinsonians Win 2020 Statewide Campus Sustainability Champion Awards
"The experience that really stands out was spending a semester in Bhutan, where I was able to see a country with limited resources make big strides in sustainability," says Miller, seen here in Bhutan's Chelela Pass. "My time in Bhutan had me think a lot about creative ways to encourage environmentalism and prompted me to want to make a difference!"
Pennsylvania Environmental Resource Consortium honors administrator and student
by Tony Moore
As an institution, Dickinson has garnered more than its fair share of accolades over the years for its sustainability efforts, in and out of the classroom. Now, Ken Shultes ’89, associate vice president for sustainability & facilities planning, and Allison Miller ’20 (environmental studies) have taken individual honors, winning Pennsylvania Environmental Resource Consortium’s 2020 Campus Sustainability Champion awards.
“I’m so fortunate to work for a college that has placed such a strong emphasis on sustainability—both operationally and academically,” says Shultes, who led Dickinson’s successful efforts to become carbon neutral by 2020, making Dickinson one of the first 10 carbon neutral colleges or universities in the nation. “The world needs innovative leadership to solve the challenges associated with sustainability—to find solutions that integrate environmental, social and economic justice—and we’re providing the framework for that here at Dickinson. It has been my privilege to be a part of it!”
The Campus Sustainability Champion title is awarded to students, faculty, administrators and staff of Pennsylvania colleges and universities who have made meaningful contributions benefiting social, economic and/or environmental sustainability on their campus, in their community or in society. Beyond shepherding Dickinson to carbon neutrality, Shultes was also an early advocate for the college signing the American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment in 2007 and played a central role in planning, guiding and implementing the college’s climate action plan.
Miller, a Baird Sustainability Fellow and special projects intern for Dickinson’s Center for Sustainability Education, led the charge in Dickinson’s participation in the 2020 Campus EcoChallenge while recruiting 10 other colleges to compete with Dickinson in the challenge.
“I think that this recognition demonstrates how hard Dickinson has worked to integrate students into campus sustainability goals,” says Miller, who played a critical role in hosting a campus summit on climate change and behavior change whose attendees came from more than 50 colleges and universities. “I am so grateful for the opportunity to be a leader in this space and that the Center for Sustainability Education helped me develop leadership skills to be successful!”
Allison Miller '20 Discusses Sustainability and Global Education at Dickinson
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Published May 11, 2020