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Green Office Certification

Green Office
Built Environment
Civic Engagement
Procurement
Recycling & Waste
Faculty
Staff

How to Get Green Office Certified

  1. Complete the Green Office Certification Checklist by marking all actions applicable to your office. The checklist with automatically calculate your score.  
  2. Have at least 50% of your office sign the Green Office Certification Application Form. The application also requires a signature from your office head or program director.
  3. Submit your completed Checklist and Form by emailing them to sustainability@upenn.edu. Please include "green office certification - [Office Name]" in the subject line.
  4. Staff at Penn Sustainability will review the application. Offices will receive an e-certificate for the level achieved which can be printed and displayed publicly in your office. Your office will also be recognized here as a Certified Green Office.
  5. Certification is valid for 3 years from the date of the award. To recertify, an office must submit a new application for certification. 

The Green Office Certification recognizes the efforts of staff and faculty to green their daily activities by offering four levels of certification.

An office desk
Purpose

Offices represent a significant portion of Penn’s energy and material use and waste production. The Penn Sustainability Office recognizes the efforts of staff and faculty to green their daily activities by offering four levels of Green Office certification.

Activities

Certified offices report on existing activities, and implement new activities, across 7 categories: Waste, Purchasing, Energy, Water, Indoor Air Quality and Human Health, Transportation and Involvement. The more actions you implement, the higher certification level you can achieve. 

Impact

Since inception of the program, 156 offices across Penn have been Green Office Certified.

Penn Connects

A top down view of the Penn campus
Plan Documents
Alumni
Faculty
Staff
Students

A land use and urban design strategy for the University.

A land use and urban design strategy with a 30-year horizon to advance Penn as a premier urban research university. Read Penn Connects

Built Environment
Natural Environment

Built Environment

Built Environment
Building

Preserving history while embracing sustainable design is the cornerstone of Penn’s approach to its built environment. Taking an ecological framework to how we renovate, reuse, and build structures keeps sustainability at the forefront of development. We will continue to create and maintain a sustainable campus by reducing building energy consumption and expanding the use of sustainable design. 

Penn Connects, our campus development plan, takes sustainability into account for all new projects and renovations. From the adaptive reuse of historic buildings to cutting-edge research facilities, everything that flows through Penn Connects becomes an important part of our sustainability movement.  

Every new construction and major renovation project targets a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver rating or higher. Beyond Silver as our minimum standard, Penn also encourages sustainable design and innovation in all of our built environment projects, from our bird-friendly design to our green guidelines for renovations.