News

In August 2020, Building Energy Management Plans were completed for the top 30 buildings with opportunities to improve energy use. Thirteen recommissioning energy assessments have been completed. Penn has reduced its overall emissions by 44.3% in FY21 and the University continues to meet its...

Penn is now accepting flexible plastic packaging through our single-stream recycling hauler! Effective immediately, you can simply put the accepted flexible plastic packaging materials in the same blue recycling container as paper, glass, aluminum, and other rigid plastics. You will not need to...

Progress through FY21 on the 2019 University-wide Climate and Sustainability Action Plan 3.0 environmental goals.

Download a PDF of our September 2021 Green Tip about getting involved with Climate Week!

The numerous labs on campus provide a prime opportunity to reduce our environmental impact and help us reach the goals set forth in Penn’s Climate and Sustainability Action Plan 3.0. The Green Labs program aims to reduce the environmental footprint of Penn's labs in areas like energy, water, and...

Download a PDF of our August 2021 Green Tip with tips for hosting a plant-based grill out.

As we return to campus, Penn Sustainability encourages staff and faculty to keep sustainability in mind as in-person office and lab operations resume.

Download a PDF of our July 2021 Green Tip with tips for saving and reusing your 4th of July decorations for next year!

Travel Sustainability Fund The Air Travel Working Group has established a Travel Sustainability Fund that will invest in best-fit sustainability projects to fully offset the carbon impacts of the University’s air travel. The Travel Sustainability Fund is supported by a Climate Impact Offset charge...

If you encountered recent Weitzman School of Design MFA graduate Narendra Haynes at the start of his painting career and told him that his portfolio would eventually feature sculptures made from live mealworms munching on styrofoam, he would have been lost, like most of us after hearing about the...

Download a PDF of our June 2021 Green Tip with tips for skipping the dryer.

Congratulations to the winners of the 2021 Penn Labs Freezer Challenge! Thank you to all labs who participated in our first annual freezer challenge, and a special thanks to our 3 winners - the Cremins Lab in Epigenetics, Kayser Lab in Neuroscience, and Holzman Lab in the Renal Electrolyte and...

With a mix of in-person and virtual events, Penn Sustainability, the Student Sustainability Association at Penn (SSAP), and a variety of other campus partners had a successful week of Earth Week programming. See below for some photo highlights of the week. All photos were taken by Kylie Cooper, the...

Glove recycling In 2020, over 3.2 million disposable gloves were ordered and delivered to Penn's campus. Disposable gloves (nitrile, latex, rubber) not contaminated with hazardous material or used with biological material (human/recombinant/pathogenic) may be collected in a Zero Waste Glove...

Click on the photo below to open and download a PDF of our May 2021 Green Tip with tips for planting a native pollinator garden.

Penn’s Green Purchasing Award recognizes the leading actions of any individual and/or teams that significantly advance the development of more sustainable purchasing practices at Penn. It is an opportunity to spotlight those who are championing sustainability across campus, as well as to celebrate...

On April 16, Penn's Student Eco-Reps and University partners showcased year-long campus sustainability projects via an online meeting. View their presentations on the Penn Sustainability YouTube channel. Project topics included: Dining sustainability and purchasing Campus water footprint...

A message to the Penn community on combatting climate change April 7, 2021 From: Amy Gutmann, President; Wendell Pritchett, Provost; Craig Carnaroli, Executive Vice President; Peter Ammon, Chief Investment Officer Combatting climate change is one of the paramount challenges of our time. We write...

From a pool of over sixty applicants, Climate Leaders @ Penn, a graduate student organization representing students across Penn who are passionate about addressing climate change, welcomed twenty fellows for the first-ever Climate Leaders @Penn fellowship program cohort. The students come from 6 of...

For faculty and staff who are still commuting to campus or who will soon return to working in-person on campus, the Bike Commuter Reimbursement Program provides up to $240 annually for appropriate out-of-pocket expenses. Under this program, benefits-eligible faculty and staff can be reimbursed for...

Under the guidance of the Environmental Sustainability Advisory Committee (ESAC) Transportation Subcommittee, Penn Sustainability has engaged Penn Praxis to support with designing, deploying, and analyzing a survey aimed at better understanding commuting practices and long-distance travel behavior...

For the twelfth year in a row, Penn has been named a Tree Campus USA by the Arbor Day Foundation. The Tree Campus USA program recognizes college and university campuses that effectively manage their campus trees. To continually obtain this distinction, University of Pennsylvania has met the five...

Click on the photo below to open and download a PDF of our April 2021 Green Tip with tips for leaving green spaces better than you found them.

The City of Philadelphia’s Zero Waste Partnership Program is a way for local businesses and organizations to work closely with the City of Philadelphia to advance common waste reduction and diversion-from-landfill goals. As stated in Penn’s Climate and Sustainability Action Plan 3.0 (CSAP 3.0), Penn...

Under the guidance of the Environmental Sustainability Advisory Committee (ESAC) Transportation Subcommittee, Penn Sustainability has engaged Penn Praxis to support with designing, deploying, and analyzing a survey aimed at better understanding commuting practices and long-distance travel behavior...

Join Penn Sustainability and our partners for a mix of in-person and virtual events to celebrate Earth Week 2021! Throughout the Week Virtual Earth Day 5K Join Penn Recreation for a FREE Earth Day Virtual 5K! Run the race any time from 4/19 - 4/25 Register Here Bon Appetit's Embrace Plant-Forward...

As part of the MLK Commemorative Symposium on Social Change, Penn Sustainability, the Penn Food and Wellness Collaborative, and the Office of Social Equity and Community hosted Food Justice in Philadelphia: How community-based farms, policies, and organizing shape our food system. The event brought...

Learn more about the Penn Food and Wellness Collaborative, home to the Penn Park Farm, from our Q&A with Lila Surya Bhide, the program's coordinator. Q: What is the Penn Food and Wellness Collaborative? A: The Penn Food and Wellness Collaborative (PFWC) is a new program that brings together a...

Click on the photo below to open and download a PDF of our March 2021 Green Tip with tips for reducing your water footprint in honor of World Water Day!

Penn Dining has a strong commitment to maintaining both your health and the health of our planet. In order to ensure that we are following COVID-19 protocols as well as continuing our efforts to lower the amount of waste in our dining program, we need your help. Please read the information below...