Center for the Sustainable Environment
Advocating for a Sustainable World
The Center for the Sustainable Environment, or CSE, unites the many interests and initiatives relating to global environmental stewardship and sustainability on campus. The CSE space offers a seminar room, a field-work laboratory space, a community outreach room, office space, and a student commons. Our location close to the heart of campus offers an ideal hub for students, faculty and staff to engage in activities relating to our three main objectives: education, action, and example.
Facilitating F&M’s dedication to excellence in undergraduate education, we work with
faculty and students across all disciplines to offer sustainably-based lectures, seminars,
research projects, outreach activities, and green living resources. Past programming
at the Center includes a food composting workshop, wild food tasting, an environmental
lecture featuring Jane Goodall, Green Cinema movie screenings, and sustainability
campus tours showcasing the physical sustainable features of campus, including solar
arrays, green roofs, and pollinator gardens, as well as the environmental studies
and environmental science majors, the environmental pre-orientation program, and student
environmental clubs. A sustainable idea doesn’t have to remain just that. Sustainable efforts originate
in all corners of campus, and we serve as a launchpad to bring these ideas to life.
By coordinating sustainable efforts college-wide, we enhance F&M’s reputation as a
leader in the community through the innovation, execution, and promotion of meaningful
environmental stewardship. Recent initiatives include the Granola Bar, a resource
at the Center for fighting food insecurity and food waste, and Meatless Mondays, a
global movement operating in numerous colleges and universities in 36 countries around
the world. Our campus adopted the policy after a student-led initiative. We lead by example. We strive to minimize our environmental impact. Our long term
goal is to create sustainable practices and methodologies that can serve as a working
model for other facilities on campus and across the broader Lancaster community. The
Center itself features many environmentally friendly and sustainable features: carpets
made from recycled plastic bottles and recycled car tires, reclaimed hardwood flooring,
recycled cork flooring, American Clay walls, dual-flush toilets, and Mythic paint
(non-toxic, zero-volatile organic compounds (VOC) paint).Education
Action
Example
FOOT: Backpack the Appalachian Trail
Class of 2028 Pre-Arrival Program
Are you interested in a four-day, three-night backpacking trip on a section of the
Appalachian Trail through Pennsylvania’s beautiful rolling hills? FOOT is for you!
The First-Year Outdoor Orientation Trip (also known as "FOOT") is a pre-arrival program
taking place August 19-22, prior to new student orientation on August 23.
Read More »
Sustainability at F&M
We’re committed to serving as a leader in building a sustainable world. We pride ourselves on looking at every possible angle to create a more sustainable future for both the campus and the world. Explore how we implement our sustainability master plan with initiatives that showcase the most recent advances in sustainable ideas and technology.
Lancaster Community Resources
Are you a Lancaster community member hoping to learn more about sustainability? We’re proud to offer resources for neighbors who would like to live “green.”
April 24, 2023 Sometimes, it's the quiet and contemplative moments in between class and co-curriculars where the most personal growth occurs. In this mindfulness miniseries, we explore moments of calm and...Franklin & Marshall College offers students a hands-on education that emphasizes close relationships with faculty. Students flourish in a supportive community that treats them as an individual, and their successes continue long after F&M. The College is a national leader in launching students and alumni to opportunities where they make a difference in the community and the world. September 14, 2021 Thirty first-year students at Franklin & Marshall recently swapped their books and syllabi for hiking boots and trail mix. Pioneered in 2012, Franklin & Marshall College's First-Year...F&M First-Year Outdoor Orientation Trip (FOOT) is a program designed for first-year students interested in sustainability, environment & the oudoors. July 26, 2021 Three environmental studies and government students research how to incorporate Lancaster County's farming industry into F&M's curriculum. Franklin & Marshall College is tucked in the...Environmental studies and government students research and collaborate with Lancaster County's farming industry to add sustainable food systems minor.
CSE in Action at F&M
Mindful Moments: Unwinding in Nature
An Appalachian Adventure Begins at F&M
Weaving Lancaster's Rich Farming Community into the Classroom