FALL 2021
SUSTAINABILITY ANNUAL REPORT PUBLISHED
Increases in local and plant-based food sourcing, broad community engagement, and continued reductions in carbon emissions are areas of significant achievement against the goals of the University of Pennsylvania’s Climate and Sustainability Action Plan 3.0.

We have just released the Climate and Sustainability Action Plan 3.0 FY21 Annual Report, based on data and metrics from fiscal year 2021 gathered from across many academic and administrative units at the University. The Climate and Sustainability Action Plan 3.0 FY21 Annual Report documents Penn’s progress towards the goals of the 2019 Climate and Sustainability Action Plan 3.0 (CSAP3.0), tracking metrics in Academics, Utilities & Operations, Physical Environment, Waste Minimization & Recycling, Purchasing, Transportation, and Outreach & Engagement. Our press release describes work in each of these areas.
WELCOME LAURA BARRON, SUSTAINABILITY ANALYST
The Penn Sustainability staff welcomes Laura Barron to the team as Sustainability Analyst.
STARTING OFF RIGHT WITH MOVE IN GREEN
move in carts
In August, fifteen undergraduate students volunteered for Move In Green, staffing outreach tables at the Quad, Lauder/Hill House, and Houston Hall; talking with students about sustainability activities on campus; educating students about how to recycle and recycling locations; and assisting with hands-on recycling support in College Houses. This annual program is designed to help spread awareness of sustainability news and information for new and returning Penn students. 
Sharing Our Stories
Penn’s Environmental Sustainability Performance Rates at Gold Level in STARS
The University of Pennsylvania has completed its STARS survey for the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) and has received a Gold Rating for its 2021 submission.
Climate Week 2021 – In Case You Missed It
Nearly 35 Penn organizations collaborated to host Climate Week 2021, September 20-24. A mix of virtual and in-person activities were held in order to maintain social distancing, but also to make this important content available to a wider audience. A number of webinars and panels were recorded and can be viewed via the archive on the Climate Week at Penn website. 
Sustainability in Education and Practice
Penn students are actively engaged in how sustainability is taught at Penn and how it is activated in the City of Philadelphia through two programs, Integrating Sustainability Across the Curriculum (ISAC) and the Civic Sustainability Fellows. 
Meet CLIO — Penn’s Air Travel Offset Program
Did you know that air travel alone typically makes up approximately 10% of Penn’s main campus carbon footprint? This travel emits nearly 20,000 metric tons of CO2 per year — enough to power more than 2,000 homes for one year.
Avian Awareness Comes to Campus
Migratory bird populations as well as those feathered friends who are our West Philadelphia neighbors are getting increased consideration in Penn’s built environment. Studies show that birds are often unable to recognize the see-through and sky-reflecting glass of urban buildings, crashing into them at fatal speeds. 
A Growing List of LEED Designations
Five recently completed campus construction projects received LEED recognition. LEED, or, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is the most widely used green building rating system in the world.
Find Your Food: Catering@Penn
Penn Procurement Services has assembled a list of Preferred Contract Caterers, based on their alignment with sustainability, supplier diversity, utilization of local food sources, and an assessment of each supplier’s ability to provide and serve high-quality food safely in a cost-competitive manner. The website, Catering@Penn, has been developed to encourage visitors to search for providers based on any combination of criteria such as cuisine type, service offerings, and geographic location. 
Campus-wide Flexible Plastic Packaging
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.
Visualize the Fate of Our Waste on Penn’s Campus
Penn’s campus waste is far more than just Trash and Recycling. Composting is widely available, yet collection points vary from building to building.
Green2Go Containers Reduce Waste
It’s hard to believe that the Green2Go food containers offered by Penn Dining started as a Green Fund project in 2013. Since then, the program of reusable dining containers has expanded and improved and is now widely available in all campus dining halls.
Progress on Emissions Reductions
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 building energy use reduction goal by achieving a 41% reduction in building-related emissions in 2021.