Earth Week 2025: Our Power, Our Planet

The Penn Center for Science, Sustainability, and the Media (PCSSM) Research Day on April 18 was PCSSM’s first showcase of scholarly work conducted by PCSSM researchers, who include postdoctoral fellows, students, a senior research fellow, and a visiting scholar. Through a combination of research talks and a poster/networking session, the Center highlighted work it has pursued since its launch in 2022 in addressing the challenges and opportunities in communicating climate science and environmental sustainability. PCSSM aims to make this an annual event where it can continue to share its activities and research.  

In its sixth year, Climate Week at Penn offers opportunities for every member of the Penn community to learn about and act on the climate crisis. The theme for 2025 is “Hot Spots,” be they literal (wildfires and extreme heat) or figurative (political, cultural, interpersonal, or scholarly hot topics). Plans are already in the works for events focused on the health impacts of climate change, the intersections of AI and the environment, the popular 1.5* Minute Climate Lectures from both faculty and students, and much more. To brainstorm an event with the Environmental Innovations Initiative staff, email contact@environment.upenn.edu.

To add a confirmed event to the Climate Week website calendar, visit https://climateweek.provost.upenn.edu.

One of the biggest threats to urban tree health is stem girdling roots (SGRs), which can strangle trees by cutting off sap flow. At Penn, the Morris Arboretum & Gardens Urban Forestry Consultant team works hard in collaboration with Penn’s landscape team to remove these harmful roots. Using mapping software, they track and monitor trees with SGRs to complement tree care. This proactive approach has saved trees from decline and extended their lifespan, showcasing the University's dedication to tree health. Learn more.

To encourage the continual greening of urban areas in Philadelphia, on May 8 the University once again partnered with TreePhilly and the Morris Arboretum & Gardens for the Creating Canopy tree giveaway, where 150 trees were given out to Penn and Penn Health System staff residing in the city of Philadelphia. This year, we asked participants for feedback about the giveaway and received stories such as this one:

“I am from an Italian family who LOVES figs. My dad planted a fig tree a long time ago, and it is a monster that bears the sweetest of fruit every year...I wanted to plant this species so that I could remember the fun we had watching his tree grow and prosper, and the loving care he took of it wrapping it up for the winter so it could bloom in the spring...I am hoping that it brings joy to my children and grandchildren someday so that I can continue my dad's legacy.”

This tree is one of 150 that, if cared for and maintained over a 20-year period, can sequester over 28,000 lbs. of CO2 — that’s roughly the emissions of driving a car over 100,000 miles! See photos from this annual event.

In May, Penn’s Ott Center for Track & Field was awarded LEED Silver status by the U.S. Green Building Council. The Ott Center was completed in late 2024, and includes a banked track, long and high jump pits, a throwing area, and approximately 1,000 spectator seats. On its LEED scorecard, Ott received high points for construction and demolition waste management as well as heat island and light pollution reduction. During the construction process, 64 trees were planted on the site, adding to Penn’s diverse urban forest. Learn More.

Penn’s Hey Day is an annual student tradition that marks the official passage of juniors to seniors and is characterized by thousands of marching students parading down Locust Walk sporting hats, red T-shirts, and canes. Penn Sustainability, Penn Dining, and the Office of Student Affairs collaborated to make Hey Day 2025, which took place on May 1, a low-waste event that minimized the materials sent to landfill. Fourteen volunteers helped the juniors sort their waste into compost, trash, and recycling bins, and collected 267 lbs. of compost. 

On Wednesday, May 14, Penn hosted its annual Bike to Work Day, an opportunity for the Penn community to learn about various bike resources found on campus. The event offered information on bike safety, a demonstration on how to use the bike racks on the front of all Penn Transit buses, and a group ride to City Hall to advocate for and celebrate urban bicycling. The day also included information on Penn’s Commuter Services’ bicycle-related programs, including a new employee discount on an annual Indego365 bike-share membership. Full-time, benefits-eligible faculty, professional staff, and post-doctoral research fellows can now purchase the annual membership at a 20% discount. Learn More.

The Green Labs Working Group meets virtually once a month to discuss updates to the Green Labs program and ideas on future projects related to outreach, waste management, cold storage management, and energy reduction in labs. If you are a member of the lab community at Penn and would like to join the Green Labs Working Group or attend a meeting, sign up here.

In partnership with the Office of Social Equity & Community and local organizations, this year Penn Sustainability expanded options to reduce waste during off-campus Move Out, providing students with free, expanded curbside donation collection and frequent bulk trash pick up. A partnership with Rego, a data-driven donation removal platform based in University City, allowed students to easily select what items they wanted picked up — such as beds, couches, dressers, tables, desks, electronics, clothing, and home decor — and select their preferred pickup date. Over 150 orders were placed, resulting in 670 items being diverted, equaling an estimated 13,993 pounds of materials going to Philadelphians exiting homelessness through the Philadelphia Furniture Bank.  

These awards — now in their 9th year — seek to recognize actions of any individual or team that advances sustainable purchasing practices at Penn. Please consider submitting anyone you know, or if you are doing great work in sustainable procurement, nominate yourself! For more information about the award, including guidelines and instructions for applying, please visit this link. Please direct all questions to GreenPurchasing@upenn.edu.

Penn Today recently profiled Greg Evans, HUP’s Corporate Director of Sustainability, describing how "under Evans’ leadership, Penn Medicine has launched a comprehensive Climate and Sustainability Action Plan (CSAP), in alignment with the University's CSAP 4.0. The inaugural Penn Medicine plan targets the health system’s most significant sources of greenhouse gas emissions. This includes supply chain management, food services, sanitation chemicals, transportation, and new construction." Read the full article.

Nina Morris, Sustainability Director in the University of Pennsylvania Sustainability Office, is one of ten individuals selected to be a recipient of the inaugural AASHE Fellows Award. The award recognizes individuals who are significantly contributing to the advancement of sustainability in higher education. Nina has served as Penn’s Sustainability Director since 2020 and previously held sustainability leadership roles at the University of Virginia. She earned this honor for the impact of her projects and programs, development of tools that advance sustainability in higher education, presentations and publications, and service and mentorship. Read more about this recognition.