SPH Faculty and Staff Recognized for Sustainability Work

Greabell and Justino hold a Sustainable Development Goals soccer ball.

John and Lynne stand in front of a purple wall that says "The School of Public Health" in white text. They are wearing face masks and are holding a soccer ball from the UN that has the Sustainability Goals written on it. — Greabell and Justino at the School of Public Health, holding a United Nations soccer ball that displays the UN Global Goals for Sustainable Development.

ALBANY, N.Y. (December 21, 2021) - Each semester, the Terra Award is presented by UAlbany’s Office of Sustainability to a student, faculty and staff member who have contributed to advancing sustainability. This semester, John Justino and Lynne Greabell from the School of Public Health (SPH) received Terra Awards for their work.

Justino, director of the Center for Global Health, received the faculty Terra Award for his work to promote and raise awareness of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals among SUNY students. He has developed new courses that focus on the link between sustainable development and ensuring the health and wellbeing for people around the world—ranging from undergraduate courses to innovative virtual study abroad sessions. Justino was also invited in Fall 2020 to join the SUNY Council on International Education (CIE) Sustainability Committee.

“During my many years living and working abroad in low- and lower-middle income countries, I saw firsthand just how important sustainable development is to promoting the long-term health and wellbeing of communities, families and people around the world,” says Justino. “As a result, and as my students know, I am quite passionate about this topic. So I am truly honored and delighted to receive this award.”

Justino was also invited by UAlbany’s Office of Sustainability to help design and deliver a special orientation program in July 2021 for incoming freshmen focused on the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.

“This recognition means a lot to me and motivates me to do even more in the future to help raise awareness about the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals and the important links between sustainable development and promoting health and well-being globally,” Justino says.

Lynne Greabell, Professional Development Coordinator for SPH’s Center for Public Health Continuing Education (CPHCE), received the staff Terra Award for her work as the Health Sciences Campus Sustainability Coordinator since 2019. In that role, she works to actively promote sustainable and green initiatives at the school, the university and in the community—with many across SPH aware of initiatives, resources, and events due to Greabell’s dedication.

“We applaud Lynne’s passion and commitment to this very important cause,” says Lindsay Ruland, associate director of CPHCE. “The Terra Award is a wonderful and very much deserved acknowledgement of Lynne’s exemplified service and leadership in this program.”

Greabell has promoted campus-wide events and initiatives, hosted several Campus Crunch events, and organized tours and panels on relevant research. She participates in many lunchtime learning sessions on sustainability and reaches out to faculty and staff to increase interest in and awareness of how to increase sustainability in both personal and professional life.

“Lynne has been one of our most active Sustainability Coordinators and is a great liaison for SPH,” adds Mary Ellen from UAlbany’s Office of Sustainability.

"I think it is important to connect the Health Sciences Campus – the students, faculty and staff – with the opportunities and sustainability activities of the University overall, and vice versa," says Greabell. "There are so many ways that public health intersects with the University’s Climate Action and Sustainability Plan and the UN Sustainable Development Goals. I hope I have contributed to this connection as a Sustainability Coordinator."