Penn's first Green Purchasing Awards were presented at the annual Purchasing Services Supplier Show on September 30. This new award honors the leading actions of any individual and/or team that significantly advance the development of sustainable purchasing practices at Penn. These first honorees are exemplary champions committed to sustainability across campus.

The first Green Purchasing Award was presented to the team of Sarah Fisher, Sustainability Strategic Planning Associate (FRES) , Eric Weckel, Executive Director, Space Planning and Operations (PSOM) and Andrew Zarynow, Energy Planning Engineer (FRES) for their work on the "Bright Green Idea" that established the -80 ULT (ultra-low temperature) Freezer Efficiency Program. This program works with labs to replace energy inefficient freezers with high-efficiency freezers, using financial incentives from the Energy Reduction Fund to offset the cost of the replacements. The program also incentivizes recycling in an environmentally sound way of old, underutilized freezers.

Another Green Purchasing Award recipient was David Roush; Director, ITS Operations from Penn Law. This award was presented for achieving the highest percentage of green office products purchased in the previous fiscal year.

Learn more about the Green Purchasing Award.