WEST CHESTER, PA — From plants growing on university rooftops to geothermal wells beneath the campus, West Chester University is inviting the public to see how sustainability is taking shape from the ground up.
The university’s Sustainability Showcase will bring students, employees, and community members together Sept. 16 for two hours of exhibits, activities, and practical information inside the Sykes Student Union Ballrooms.
Hosted by WCU’s Office of Sustainability, the free event will explore green roofs, responsible purchasing, recycling, waste reduction and sustainability education while showing visitors ways they can become more involved.
Games, food and takeaways will accompany the educational displays, creating an informal opportunity for residents to learn about environmental initiatives underway at one of Chester County’s largest institutions.
The showcase reflects a broader effort by the Office of Sustainability to connect the university community with environmental, economic and social sustainability through education, research and campus operations.
- What: West Chester University Sustainability Showcase
- When: Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2026, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
- Where: Sykes Student Union Ballrooms, West Chester University, 110 W. Rosedale Avenue, West Chester, PA 19383
- Cost/Tickets: Free; no advance registration requirement was stated
- More Info: https://www.wcupa.edu/communications/newsroom/2026/09.08Sustainability.aspx
Sustainability Beyond the Showcase
The September event is just one part of a semester of public programming examining how sustainability can move from an idea into everyday practice.
Beginning Sept. 22, the Office of Sustainability will offer a series of one-hour campus tours. The first will take visitors onto the green roof at the Science and Engineering Center and The Commons.
Additional tours will explore North Campus sustainability initiatives Oct. 15, the Gordon Natural Area on South Campus Oct. 26 and the university’s geothermal pumphouse Nov. 13. Each tour is scheduled from noon to 1 p.m.
WCU also hosts weekly Sustainability Research and Practice Seminars on Wednesdays at noon during the semester. The 50-minute programs bring together university and community experts working on environmental, social and economic sustainability and are offered both in person and through Zoom.
Recordings are archived through the Francis Harvey Green Library’s Digital Commons at https://digitalcommons.wcupa.edu/srca_sp/.
The university will extend that community conversation on Oct. 22 when its Office of Sustainability and the West Chester Green Team host a free public panel on plastics and health.
WCU faculty members Elliott Arnold of Earth and Space Sciences and Megan Fork of Biology will join acupuncture and Chinese medicine practitioner Erika Prinz Ben-Zur for the discussion, moderated by Elizabeth Gombosi of the West Chester Green Team.
The evening will also include the Green Team’s Environmental Leadership Award presentation to Rachael Griffith, sustainability director for the Chester County Planning Commission.
For residents curious about everything from green roofs and recycling to geothermal energy, the Sustainability Showcase offers a starting point close to home — and an invitation to see how ideas about conservation and responsible resource use are being put into practice across the West Chester University campus.
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