About Penn Sustainability
Penn Sustainability is a University-wide initiative to advance social, environmental, and economic sustainability at the University of Pennsylvania, and coordinate programs to develop a more sustainable campus.
Penn Green Campus Partnership (2007-2018) was the umbrella organization that was formed in 2007 to address sustainability planning and policy development at the University of Pennsylvania and to coordinate programs and initiatives for a more sustainable campus.
Environmental Sustainability Advisory Committee
Former Penn President Amy Gutmann's signing of the Presidents’ Climate Commitment in 2007 charged Penn to develop a strategic plan outlining the University’s goals for carbon reduction. To carry out this mission the Environmental Sustainability Advisory Committee (ESAC) was formed.
The Environmental Sustainability Advisory Committee is a cross-campus collaboration that includes a representative group of faculty, staff, and students who advise the President on sustainability issues. ESAC subcommittees developed recommendations for short- and long-term actions to address the Commitment’s requirements. These recommendations now serve as the backbone of Penn’s Climate and Sustainability Action Plan 3.0. There are eight ESAC Subcommittees: Academics, Utilities & Operations, Physical Environment, Waste & Recycling, Purchasing, Transportation, Outreach & Engagement - Behavior Change, and Outreach & Engagement - Strategic Marketing & Communications. Please refer to this diagram below for a full map of the ESAC subcommittees and working group structure.
If you are interested in joining one of our Environmental Sustainability Advisory Committee (ESAC) Subcommittees or working groups, please contact us at sustainability@upenn.edu.
CSAP 3.0
The roadmap for Penn Sustainability programs is the University’s Climate and Sustainability Action Plan 3.0 (CSAP 3.0). Introduced in October 2019, CSAP 3.0 is the second update to Penn’s first Climate Action Plan launched in 2009. The strategy is to release a new plan every five years. Each plan charts a path for sustainability on campus with specific goals for that five-year period.