SPRING 2021
EARTH WEEK 2021 EVENTS
This year, as the weather gets warmer, time spent outdoors is more valuable than ever. Beginning April 19th, join Penn Sustainability and our partners to celebrate Earth Week 2021! For the 51st anniversary of the first Earth Day, Penn Sustainability is offering an exciting mix of in-person and virtual events, including socially-distanced group yoga and a virtual tour of hives with the Penn Beekeeper club. Some sample activities include:

Monday, April 19 – Yoga at Shoemaker Green
Tuesday, April 20 – Green Labs Info Session
Wednesday, April 21 – Penn Park Farm Tour + Workday
Thursday, April 22 – Campus Ecology Tour
Saturday, April 24 – Ray’s Reusables Pop-Up
& West Philly Cleanup

Learn more, see the full schedule and register for events below.
REMINDER: BIKE COMMUTER INCENTIVE
For faculty and staff who are still commuting to campus or who will soon return to working in-person on campus, the Bike Commuter Reimbursement Program provides up to $240 annually for appropriate out-of-pocket expenses. Under this program, benefits-eligible faculty and staff can be reimbursed for bike purchases, maintenance, improvements, bike accessories, and more.
GET TO KNOW THE PENN PARK FARM
The Penn Food and Wellness Collaborative is a new program that brings together a diverse group of campus stakeholders including the Center for Public Health Initiatives, Wellness at Penn, and Facilities and Real Estate Services.
Sharing Our Stories
Food Justice Event Examines Roots of Inequality
As part of the MLK Commemorative Symposium on Social Change, Penn Sustainability, the Penn Food and Wellness Collaborative, and the Office of Social Equity and Community hosted Food Justice in Philadelphia: How community-based farms, policies, and organizing shape our food system.
Climate Leaders @ Penn Inaugural Fellowship
From a pool of over sixty applicants, Climate Leaders @ Penn, a graduate student organization representing students across Penn who are passionate about addressing climate change, welcomed twenty fellows for the first-ever Climate Leaders @Penn fellowship program cohort.
Green Purchasing Awards Announced
The 2020 Green Purchasing Awards, announced in January 2021, recognized outstanding contributions that significantly advance the development of sustainable purchasing at Penn, this year in the areas of air travel policies and a shift in kitchen waste streams.
Zero Waste Partnership with the City of Philadelphia
The City of Philadelphia’s Zero Waste Partnership Program is a way for local businesses and organizations to work closely with the City of Philadelphia to advance common waste reduction and diversion-from-landfill goals.
Penn Labs Freezer Challenge
This January, Penn Sustainability and the Green Labs Executive Committee launched the first annual Penn Labs Freezer Challenge, designed to promote best practices in cold storage management.
Commuter and Long-Distance Survey Planned 
Under the guidance of the Environmental Sustainability Advisory Committee (ESAC) Transportation Subcommittee, Penn Sustainability has engaged Penn Praxis to support with designing, deploying, and analyzing a survey aimed at better understanding commuting practices and long-distance travel behavior at Penn. 
Creating Canopy Tree Giveaway Returns 
Each year, a limited number of free trees are given away on a first-come, first-served basis to interested Penn and UPHS staff and faculty who pre-register. For the 2021 Creating Canopy tree giveaway, trees are only available to homeowners who live in the City of Philadelphia.  
30 Minutes a Day for 30 Days Earns Rewards
The 30x30 Challenge is an effort to encourage the Penn community to get outside, learn about local ecology, and appreciate the beauty of nature. Getting your daily dose of nature is more important now than ever as we are spending a great deal of time indoors during the COVID-19 pandemic.