The University of Pennsylvania officially broke ground Friday, Nov. 6, for its 24-acre Penn Park, a $46 million project at the eastern edge of campus that features open space, athletic fields and tennis courts.
The parcel, located south of Walnut Street, with Amtrak rail lines to the east and the...
Mark Alan Hughes, Philadelphia Daily News -- When John Heisman coached football at Franklin Field in the 1920s (yes, the namesake of the Heisman Trophy played and coached at Penn), it was a single-tier stadium.
By 1960, when the Eagles' Chuck Bednarik stopped the Packers' Jim Taylor in the waning...
Susan Snyder, Philadelphia Inquirer -- Penn's 24-acre park will replace asphalt with fields and trails. The University of Pennsylvania will begin construction today of its epic 24-acre Penn Park, the centerpiece of its 30-year master plan involving land it acquired from the U.S. Postal Service in...
Jared Dublin, The Daily Pennsylvanian -- A girl in an elaborate, homemade hyena costume stood on Locust Walk on Friday. Her message? Go green...
President Amy Gutmann recently posted a video on the electronic wall of the website Repower America—a virtual cork board featuring influential leaders and citizens speaking on environmental issues. Her spot highlights Penn’s green initiatives and the release of the University’s Climate Action Plan...
John Prendergast, The Pennsylvania Gazette -- The University’s new Climate Action Plan is good for the environment—and won’t hurt Penn’s bottom line, either.
Click here to read John Prendergast's feature article on Penn's Climate Action Plan from the November issue of the Pennsylvania Gazette.
Claire Connelly, Grid Magazine -- The local food movement is reaching beyond Philadelphia’s progressive cafés into one of our oldest institutions.
The University of Pennsylvania strives to source 25 percent of their food locally year-round, and close to 50 percent during peak growing season....
Calder Silcox, The Daily Pennsylvanian -- Philadelphia cyclists are showing the true potential of pedal power — and the University is encouraging this trend on campus as well. According to the The U.S. Census Bureau’s 2008 American Community Survey, Philadelphia ranked first among the 10 largest...
Jenny Cheung, The Daily Pennsylvanian -- Beginning this semester, students interested in government administration and environmental studies will be able to integrate both disciplines by enrolling in a new dual degree program. Jointly offered by the Fels Institute of Government and the College of...
NOVEMBER 24, 2009
Anandi Malik, The Daily Pennsylvanian -- With On-Campus Recruiting for next summer starting up, the word “internship” is on many students’ minds. But Mark Alan Hughes’ new course “Sustainability 101” puts a very different spin on the word... full story
Want to green your course load this semester? Find sustainability-themed courses easily by using the online course search through Penn InTouch.
The newly designed Penn InTouch interface now provides students an easy way to find classes of interest during Course Selection Days, including new and...
OCTOBER 8, 2009
As the University begins its expansion of academic initiatives around sustainability, the main attraction for undergrads will most certainly be a new environmental minor: Sustainability and Environmental Management.
The program is an interdisciplinary minor formed through a...
The University of Pennsylvania has received an A- grade on the Sustainable Endowments Institute College Sustainability Report Card for the second consecutive year, the highest mark awarded to any institution.
Click here to view the breakdown of Penn's grade and see how we rank among our peers.
This month, Facilities and Real Estate Services, in collaboration with the Office of the Provost, announced the launch of the Penn Green Fund, a grant available to all members of the Penn community to fund small projects that further campus-wide environmental sustainability initiatives.
The...
September's Eat Local Challenge was just one of the many sustainability initiatives that have been adopted by Penn Dining since partnering with Bon Appétit Management Company, the University's new food service provider, in July.
Penn's decision to partner with Bon Appétit came, in part, because the...
In May, Facilities and Real Estate Services (FRES) installed 10 BigBelly solar-powered trash compactor and recycling units after a successful 2007 pilot installation at 36th & Chestnut streets. Not just the average trash can, the BigBelly takes pride in being a more sustainable receptacle.
By...
By capturing rainwater and reducing it slowly over time, Penn's green roofs lessen the burden on the West Philadelphia sewer system, while providing several additional environmental benefits.
One of the most significant environmental challenges facing Philadelphia is pollution of its rivers. Like...
In March 2009, seven Greek houses began participating in a pilot recycling program that aims to integrate Penn’s sustainability initiatives with the Greek community.
Representatives from the seven houses worked with Penn’s Office of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs (OFSA), Facilities and Real...
Over the summer of 2009, Penn Facilities and Real Estate Services (FRES), Environmental Health and Radiation Safety (EHRS), and University Laboratory Animal Resources (ULAR) continued a 2008 energy conservation pilot that installed Aircuity’s OptiNet system to reduce excessive airflow in...
In July, some 60 staff members from Facilities and Real Estate Services (FRES), the School of Medicine, School of Arts and Sciences, School of Engineering and Applied Science and Dining Services gathered for a half-day “Green Building Basics and LEED” workshop.
Attendance at this session represents...
With the addition of new bike parking corrals, bike lanes and safety instruction, Penn is renewing its commitment to creating a haven for members of the biking community. Ample bike parking opportunities and increased education and security measures join together with a host of efforts that Penn has...
Sandy Bauers, Philadelphia Inquirer -- About an hour ago, Penn president Amy Gutmann announced the university's new Climate Action Plan, which calls for all sorts of green upgrades. Penn is one of several in the region that signed the American College and University Presidents' Climate Commitment...
PHILADELPHIA –- The University of Pennsylvania today released its Climate Action Plan, a comprehensive approach to reducing the University’s carbon footprint and enhancing its overall sustainability. An announcement by President Amy Gutmann marked the occasion.
The development of Penn’s...
Plastic water and soda bottles that are said to last forever in a landfill will instead grace the 2,500 or so Penn graduating seniors next spring as their commencement caps and gowns.
The GreenWeaver line of regalia by Oak Hall Cap & Gown, a Virginia manufacturer of academic apparel, is Penn’s...
Scientific American has ranked the University of Pennsylvania #19 on its list of the country's "Top 25 Green Leaders" alongside other environmentally-conscious companies and municipalities. Penn, the only institution of higher learning on the list, was recognized for its purchase of 193 million...
Penn has been designated as one of the Best Workplaces for Commuters by the National Center for Transit Research (NCTR) at the University of South Florida for meeting the Environmental Protection Agency’s National Standard of Excellence for outstanding commuter benefits. These benefits promote...
Sandy Bauers, Philadelphia Inquirer -- It's big. It's brainy. Officials say it will save money. And it's solar-powered to boot. Philadelphia installed the first of a new generation of trash containers yesterday, and it had officials giddy with green.
They all but hugged the thing as they posed...
For the third straight year, the University of Pennsylvania has been recognized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as the nation's leading purchaser of green power among institutions of higher learning (Press Release). Hear what Penn Environmental Sustainability Coordinator Dan Garofalo had...
Vernon Clarkat, Philadelphia Inquirer -- A 14-acre stretch of former U.S. Postal Service parking lots in West Philadelphia is set to get a green makeover, transforming it to open space and athletic fields.
The University of Pennsylvania announced yesterday that it would spend $40 million to...