Two At West Chester Univ. Recognized For Environmental Efforts

WEST CHESTER, PA — A student and a staff member at West Chester University have been recognized by the Pennsylvania Environmental Resource Consortium for their efforts to protect the environment in their communities.

Staff member Amy Maxcy and student Abigail Kennedy were named Campus Sustainability Champions for 2020.

In a news release, the university stated the title is given to students, faculty, administrators and staff of Pennsylvania higher education institutions who have made contributions to social, economic or environmental sustainability efforts on campus, in their communities and beyond.

Maxcy was given the title after her work in WCU's Office of Sustainability, her support of the Sustainability Council and for creating an online workspace where the university's climate action plan was revised.

Among other efforts, the release states, Maxcy is most proud of her "Pack it Up, Pass It On" student yard sale that diverted three dumpsters-worth of used items from landfills and raised $1,500, followed by pop-up thrift shops that brought in some $2,000.

Kennedy, of Wallingford, is in WCU's graduating class of 2020. The university stated she has chaired WCU's Students for Sustainable Action and was co chair of Fair Trade WCU while completing an undergraduate certificate in Education for Sustainability.

The release states Kennedy was first connected to environmental action when she worked on an off-grid, self-sustaining farm in Maui, Hawaii, after high school.

“I want to create awareness around environmental activism,” Kennedy said in a statement. “I carry a container bag with me with reusable utensils and my purse is a reusable bag.”

Kennedy and other Students for Sustainable Action created the #SayNoToStyro campaign to reduce the use of styrofoam containers on campus and instituted a lending library of reusable containers on campus, the university said.

She was also a student leader for Sustainable Food Sources in Urban Communities in Philadelphia service trip, an organizer for the student-focused Brandywine Project workshops, a coordinator for monthly campus clean-ups, and a supervisor for WCU's outdoor program, where she helped integrate environmental stewardship into outdoor education.

Kennedy was one of 11 student Campus Sustainability Champions, and Maxcy was among 12 non-student honorees. The full list of PERC Campus Sustainability Champions can be seen here