Complex challenges such as climate change and loss of biodiversity require collaborative solutions. The Environmental Innovations Initiative is dedicated to leveraging the considerable academic strengths of the University of Pennsylvania to meaningfully impact the critical environmental challenges of our time and foster impact-oriented connections between disciplines. Launched in 2020 and housed in the Office of the Provost, the Initiative is built around a vision of informing the transition to a more resilient society and fostering harmony with nature. 

Through its inclusive and dynamic programming, seed funding, and interactive tools, it has facilitated collaboration across disciplines, formed strategic alliances with external partners, and elevated the visibility of Penn’s assets. The Initiative and Penn Sustainability collaborate to support the academic components of the Climate and Sustainability Action Plan, promote environmental literacy and action through campus-wide events like Earth Week and Climate Week, and ensure sustainability throughout both the operations and the scholarship of the University’s schools and centers.

Penn Sustainability Office

Search our website to see if your question is answered there. If not, contact us with any questions, concerns, suggestions, or ideas you may have about sustainability initiatives at Penn.

Email: sustainability@upenn.edu

Share Your Sustainability Story

We want to hear about what you're doing on campus! Let us know what you're up to and share your sustainability story with the Penn Sustainability Office.

Email: sustainability@upenn.edu

Media Inquiries

Please direct all requests for interviews, photography, video, or opportunities to speak or present to the Communications Team at:

Email: sustainability@upenn.edu

Data Requests

For sustainability data, send your request via email and include details and scope of the information you are requesting. If the data is not readily available or not hosted by the Penn Sustainability Office, our office will provide you with the information on the process or the best campus contact to provide support.

Email: sustainability@upenn.edu

Join the movement and shape the future of Penn Sustainability. Across campus, students, faculty, and staff are acting as catalysts for change. Through transformative actions, we can fight climate change and advance a healthy, equitable environment both on the campus and beyond. 

Your role is calling you. Explore Penn Sustainability opportunities both on and off campus. 

MORE WAYS TO GET INVOLVED

Penn’s core mission is to advance the betterment of the human condition. We do this through research to create new knowledge and by educating students to be engaged and informed community members. Recognized as a globally renowned research university, Penn’s sustainability initiatives are an integral facet of our work for the global good.

A university-wide, collaborative initiative, Penn Sustainability fosters innovation for social, environmental, and economic change. Penn Sustainability involves the university’s 12 schools and the operations and administrations that oversee programs working toward a sustainable, healthy, and vibrant campus. Acting as a hub, Penn Sustainability amplifies accomplishments, reports on progress, and provides resources and engagement opportunities for staff, students, and faculty.

Walk the grounds to see  Penn’s Climate & Sustainability Action Plan (CSAP) in action. Sustainability is embedded into nearly every facet of our campus. It weaves seamlessly through the built environment to the natural environment, what we purchase, the food we eat, and how we engage with our wider community. 

A natural haven in the heart of West Philadelphia, the Penn campus is a welcome, organic respite. As a level-2 certified arboretum with a third of the campus designated as green space, Penn’s landscape brings biodiverse benefits to an urban environment. Penn’s Campus Initiatives' reduce our ecological footprint while prioritizing health and resiliency.  

Our legacy is laid by the Penn community. Students, staff, and faculty empower change through collective action. Join the movement today.

MORE WAYS TO GET INVOLVED