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
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.”
July 22, 2026 As F&M students departed campus after finals, unwanted items never went to waste thanks to Dips Donate. The campus initiative prevents waste by redistributing usable items instead of discarding them during move-out. Volunteers collected and sorted more than 3,000 donated items, including books, cleaning supplies, clothing, decor, furniture, kitchenware, school supplies, small appliances, and unopened food and hygiene products. June 9, 2026 The F&M Innovation Fund announces its inaugural cohort of funded projects: four bold community initiatives that capture the pioneering spirit of Franklin & Marshall College. April 27, 2026 More than 40 members of the Franklin & Marshall community gathered in Stutzman Memorial Garden April 24 to celebrate the College’s 12th annual Arbor Day tree planting.
CSE in Action at F&M
Dips Donate Thousands of Items During Move-Out
Innovation Fund Transforms Pioneering Spirit into Action at Franklin & Marshall College
College Celebrates Arbor Day with Three New Trees