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Our Progress - Halfway Point of the Climate Action Plan 2.0
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The spring of 2017 will mark the halfway point of the Climate Action Plan 2.0 (
CAP2.0
), Penn's five-year plan for a more sustainable future - a good time to take stock of our progress. Much has been accomplished since the launch of the CAP2.0
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Reduce, Reuse, Recycle - ReThink Your Footprint 2016
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The Penn Community continued to reduce, reuse, recycle in this year's ReThink Your Footprint awareness campaign.
During this two-week period, Nov 1-11, an assortment of initiatives, events, and presentations took place to raise awareness about source reduction, reuse, and recycling.
ReThink by the Numbers...
10,444
pounds or 5 tons
E-waste collections at seven different locations, including the New Bolton Center in Chester County, gathered more than five tons of unwanted electronic products: computers, office electronic equipment, entertainment device electronics, mobile phones, monitors, etc.
260
items of clothing
Penn's first Pop-Up Swap Shop clothing exchange was held on Nov. 11 in Houston Hall. The Swap was designed to emphasize the reuse of material goods and to provide students an opportunity to think about the impacts of their consumer habits. More than 260 items of clothing were brought to the Swap, with only 24 pieces leftover afterwards (and donated to Goodwill).
READ MORE...
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Green Labs Working Group Takes on Lab Waste
Penn staff working in labs across campus have been drawn together by their care about the environment and desire to improve the sustainability of their labs. The force behind this initiative for green labs is Elicia Preston, a research scientist and lab manager of the Murray Lab in Penn Genetics. READ MORE...
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2016 Green Purchasing Awards
The award honors leading actions of an individual or team that significantly advance the development of sustainable purchasing practices at Penn. Three Green Purchasing Awards were presented this year. READ MORE...
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Power Down 2017 - Signal a Change
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Penn's Power Down Challenge is planned for February 1-28, 2017. Start thinking now about ways you can join this campus-wide energy reduction campaign! How can you encourage members of the Penn community to reduce their energy consumption and deepen their understanding of energy-related issues?
The Power Down Challenge includes educational and interactive events, culminating in a campus-wide, 24-hour Energy Reduction Challenge on Wednesday, February 22.
As in the past, Penn's Sustainability Office will be awarding a donation prize to CURF's Climate Action Research Grants based on the amount of energy saved during the 24-hour Energy Reduction Challenge. Last year, the campus reduced energy by 5.8% and we were able to donate $5,800 for student research grants to advance climate research at Penn.
The 2017 Power Down Challenge will also focus on the Provost's Academic Theme "Year of Media," by asking members of the Penn community to "signal a change" in their energy consumption habits. Download this year's poster to get started with your Power Down planning.
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Penn Designs to Decrease Bird Strikes
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With input from FRES staff - including University Landscape Architect Bob Lundgren and Landscape Planner Chloe Cerwinka - Joe Durrance, an IT staff member at the Perelman School of Medicine, experiments with ways to extend Penn's bird friendly efforts across the University.
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SPOT Informs Staff & Faculty Eco-Reps Goals
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Modifications to the Staff & Faculty Eco-Reps program begun last spring, such as expanding the group of Co-Chairs, and focusing on small-group exercises and training, have started to bring a sense of empowerment to individuals who want to see a greener environment in their own everyday settings. In April, Eco-Reps participated in a workshop led by Holly Marrone, Senior Training and Development Consultant for Penn HR Learning & Education. Holly led the group in completing a SPOT Analysis, mapping out the Strengths, Problems, Opportunities, and Threats that Eco-Reps experience in promoting sustainability in their offices. They used the information gathered in this SPOT session to provide valuable feedback for the year. Additional lessons from Dr. Mario Moussa and Dr. Kathy Pearson of Wharton Executive Education have helped create a path forward for Eco-Reps in this academic year.
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Revised Program Gets Thumbs Up from Student Eco-Reps
An evaluation of the Student Eco-Reps program over the past few years led to some changes which were launched this fall. Instead of having a large group of students separately representing College Houses, Greek Life, Athletics, and Hillel, there are now a dozen Eco-Reps and three Student Coordinators, who were all selected through a competitive application process and have the opportunity to develop projects focused on improving the environmental footprint of the University. Working directly with Penn's Sustainability Office and other campus stakeholders, they work in small groups to design, pilot, and evaluate one major environmental project throughout the academic year.
Eco-Reps will continue to serve as sustainability ambassadors to the University and participate in educational outreach activities focused on making positive environmental impact towards Penn's Climate Action Plan. READ MORE...
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Penn's New Bike Commuter Expense Reimbursement Program
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In January 2017, bike commuters can look forward to the launch of a new initiative: The
Bike Commuter Expense Reimbursement Program
will provide up to $240 annually to benefits-eligible faculty and staff for appropriate out-of-pocket expenses.
Under Penn's new program, eligible faculty and staff can be reimbursed for bike purchases, maintenance, improvements, and bike accessories; parking and commercial storage costs; and safety gear. Not included in the program are purchases such as membership fees, bike rentals, and bike clothing and apparel.
To participate in the Bike Commuter Expense Reimbursement Program READ MORE...
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Student Eco-Reps Coordinators 2016-17
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Eco-Reps is an internship program for undergraduate students interested in learning about environmental issues and working on sustainability projects that advance the University's Climate Action Plan 2.0. (See article this issue).
The 2016-17 Academic Year Coordinators are Student Directors Rebecca Composto (SAS '18) and Ritika Philip (Wharton '18), are interviewed here about their interest in sustainability and their plans for this year's Eco-Reps program.
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Welcome Madeline Schuh
The Penn Sustainability team welcomes to Madeline Schuh as their new Sustainability Analyst. She will track and provide data analysis of campus wide sustainability metrics, work to visualize and publish sustainability data, and update campus sustainability reporting through STARS. Read Maddy's profile on our website.
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Staff & Faculty Eco-Reps Awards
On December 14
th
, Staff & Faculty Eco-Reps hosted their final meeting of the year with an awards luncheon recognizing exceptional members who have gone above and beyond in their role as sustainability ambassadors. This is a new feature of the program developed by the group's Steering Committee, comprised of staff across various Penn schools and Centers.
READ MORE...
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