- Funding Investments and Cost Analysis
- Some recommendations have a significant one-time or ongoing cost associated with them. Savings are difficult to predict, and while external costs are documented internal labor and equipment costs are widely dispersed and not currently assessed.
- Collaborative Effort Required Across University Units
- Success depends on all employees and students thinking and acting in a sustainable manner. Operational priorities and competing interests often are not compatible with actions required to successfully achieve waste management goals.
- Frequently Changing Atmosphere for Recycling Locally and Globally
- Ever-changing markets and requirements will challenge our ability to implement sustainable changes and adjust to future externalities.
- Population Transiency
- As a university, the population that has access to our facilities is constantly changing — from new students arriving every semester to visitors attending public performances and athletic events. This is a challenge to be considered particularly while determining the new branding and messaging for recycling and sorting stations across campus.
- Sustained Focus Year to Year
- Perpetual focus on waste management is required. There needs to be an ongoing effort to maintain awareness and participation and to adapt to future changes.
- Awareness of and Compliance with Proposed Sustainable Procurement Policy
- Many people make purchasing decisions at the University and sustainability isn’t always a primary consideration. Motivating and managing these decentralized decisionmakers will be challenging.
- Overall Approach to Change
- In keeping with Penn State’s historic approach, the recommended strategy is primarily to foster cooperation through “informed willingness” as opposed to “mandated compliance.”
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