News

On Monday, Nov. 4 from 3-5pm, Penn Sustainability will be holding a pumpkin composting collection at two spots on campus - one behind Harrison College House at the Penn Garden, and the other on Woodland Walk between Lauder and Hill College Houses. Please bring by any pumpkins, gourds, etc. you may...

This year’s Power Down campaign shared the energy messaging of the October 15 launch of the Climate and Sustainability Action Plan 3.0 and leveraged Penn’s first Energy Week program, October 21-25. Energy Week@Penn, sponsored by the Kleinman Center for Energy Policy and the Vagelos Institute for...

The Energy at Penn lunch on Wednesday, October 23, featured Ben Suplick of FRES Operations and Maintenance and served as an educational opportunity for attendees to learn where Penn’s energy comes from, FRES efforts to reduce energy use and carbon emissions, and how building occupants can conserve...

Over the past year, Nick Zhu, a Junior in SAS studying Environmental Studies, has been presenting to high school students in the Philadelphia area about the benefits of studying environmentally-related majors in college through an initiative Nick has termed Sustainable Careers. Sustainable Careers...

Penn President Amy Gutmann was present for the official announcement of the University's Climate and Sustainability Action Plan 3.0, on October 15, at a presentation in the Kleinman Center for Energy Policy. The CSAP is the University’s roadmap to environmental sustainability encourages greater...

Click on the photo below to open and download a PDF of our October 2019 Green Tip. This month's green tip is all about energy, particularly the events for Energy Week@Penn!

The Greater Philadelphia Area has recently seen an influx of spotted lantern flies. They are the #1 invasive species of concern in the state of Pennsylvania and are threatening agricultural, timber, and ornamental industries. What can you do if you see one? 1. Report the sighting to the Penn State...

Throughout spring and summer 2019, Penn Sustainability co-sponsored a series of Rubbish Cleanups on Penn's Campus, with a focus on cigarette litter. Volunteers armed with gloves and trash bags were assigned to different sections of campus, and each group used an iPhone app called Rubbish to identify...

Penn has been recognized as a top performer in the 2019 Sustainable Campus Index (SCI), achieving high scores in the area of Transportation and Diversity and Affordability. A publication from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE), the Sustainable Campus...

Move-In Green was a great success this year, with 25 student volunteers coming together to provide educational outreach and hands-on recycling assistance to new and returning students moving into their college houses. This year’s group of volunteers ranged from Penn Nursing graduate students to...

Click on the photo below to open and download a PDF of our September 2019 Green Tip. This month's green tip is all about our new and improved Green Events Guide!

Click on the photo below to open and download a PDF of our August 2019 Green Tip. This month's green tip is all about waste sorting, recycling, and composting!

Through the 2019 PennMOVES initiative, nearly 130,000 pounds of donations were collected from Penn students moving out of their on-campus housing. At the close of the 2019 spring semester, these students had the opportunity to donate their furniture, books, clothes, appliances, sporting goods, and...

Dan Garofolo, Director of Penn Sustainability, was recently interviewed by Penn Today about a newly published UN report predicting imminent extinction for one million of the world's plant and animal species. To understand the implications of the report from the UN's Intergovernmental Science-Policy...

Penn has earned the recognition of Tree Campus USA for the 10th year in a row. Tree Campus USA, an Arbor Day Foundation program, honors colleges and universities and their leaders for promoting healthy trees and engaging students and staff in the spirit of conservation. To obtain this distinction...

This year, the Bike to Work Day Energizer Station will take place on Friday, May 17 from 7:30 - 9:30am at the Penn Museum (3260 South Street, across from Franklin Field) This year, Bike to Work Day at Penn will include: Snacks, drinks, and freebies A raffle to win cool bike gear Be in the Know Bonus...

To encourage the continual ‘greening’ of our communities in the Greater Philadelphia area, the Penn Sustainability Office is partnering with Philadelphia Parks and Recreation for the Creating Canopy tree giveaway. Each year, a limited number of free trees are given away on a first-come, first-served...

Penn's Student Eco-Reps program is an environmental leadership opportunity for students interested in advancing sustainability through the implementation of campus-based projects. Students work as paid employees of Penn’s Sustainability Office and collaborate with our University partners to carry...

The Green Purchasing Award program recognizes the outstanding contributions of an individual or team that significantly advance the development of sustainable purchasing practices at Penn. Past "Bright Green Ideas" have included: Establishment of an ultra low temperature, or ULT, -80 Freezer Rebate...

Did you know that Americans spend approximately 90% of their time indoors, according to the EPA? Over the last decade, researchers have been documenting what many of us know intuitively - that nature is good for our health and well-being. Regularly immersing yourself in a natural setting-like a park...

During the annual Power Down Challenge, Penn Sustainability and our partners join together for educational events and programs about energy consumption, reduction, and innovation. Each year, the campaign culminates in a collaborative, 24-hour, campus-wide Energy Reduction Challenge. The percentage...

Green Fund supports innovative ideas The Green Fund was created to support innovative ideas that align with Penn’s CAP goals and would otherwise be impossible to achieve. Beekeeping, clothing drying racks, analysis of bird strikes, bike repair stations, a student-run thrift store.....these are just...

Progress through FY18 on the 2014 University-wide Climate Action Plan 2.0 environmental goals. Carbon emissions, academic course selection, physical environment, and advances in waste minimization are areas of significant achievement against the goals of the University of Pennsylvania’s Climate...

This upcoming April, at the Partnership for a Healthier America’s annual summit, the University of Pennsylvania will be honored as the first Ivy League university to be verified as a Healthier Campus as part of the Healthier Campus Initiative (HCI). The Healthier Campus Initiative, founded in 2014...

Thank you to all who participated in Space Heater Amnesty Day 2019. The Penn Sustainability Office was able to decommission and recycle over 70 space heaters (weighing more than 500 pounds) from staff and faculty across campus through eForce Recycling. Staff who traded in their space heaters were...

At December’s Faculty and Staff Eco-Reps meeting, four Eco-Reps were honored with awards for their service and commitment to the program and to fostering sustainability at Penn. Rashida Holmes: Awarded “Most Creative,” Rashida joined the Eco-Reps program in July of 2018, and immediately began a...

Adam Linder has been at Penn for almost 7 years, with all of that time spent in the School of Arts and Sciences (SAS) Computing department. Back in 2017, Brittany Gross and Sara King, Sustainability Coordinators for SAS, reached out to Adam’s department to ask if there was potential for energy...

The University of Pennsylvania has been designated a Climate Leadership Award Winner from Second Nature, an organization committed to accelerating climate action in, and through, higher education. The founders of the University Presidents’ Climate Commitment (ACUPCC), since 1993, Second Nature has...

Penn joins a group of 193 colleges and universities in 46 states and the District of Columbia that are transforming the American landscape by providing more bicycle friendly campuses for the benefit of students, staff, and community members. “Congratulations to the University of Pennsylvania for its...

Penn joins a group of 193 colleges and universities in 46 states and the District of Columbia that are transforming the American landscape by providing more bicycle friendly campuses for the benefit of students, staff, and community members. “Congratulations to the University of Pennsylvania for its...