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Sustainability
A multidisciplinary approach to considering the Earth’s changing systems
Bringing expertise from each of their disciplines, the School of Arts & Sciences’ Kathleen Morrison and Joseph Francisco and the Environmental Innovations Initiative’s Melissa Brown Goodall infused chemistry, anthropology, policy, and more into an introductory course on climate and the environment.
A farm-to-table meal at Penn, in photos
Honoring Earth Week, Penn Dining and the Penn Food and Wellness Collaborative teamed up to create a vegetable-forward menu for Quaker Kitchen, sourcing produce from local purveyors to highlight what’s currently growing on the quarter-acre Penn Park Farm.
The Clean Water Act at 50
Approaching the half-century mark of this landmark piece of environmental legislation, Penn students, staff, and faculty share their reflections on its legacy, both strengths and shortcomings.
Turning Latin America green
Santiago Cunial, a doctoral candidate in political science, investigates issues surrounding green energy in Chile and Argentina.
Earth Week offers immersive opportunities to connect with nature
Organized by Penn Sustainability, Earth Week, with nearly 50 events running April 17-24, offers a diverse slate of both in-person and online chances to learn about and engage with the environment.
Climate scientist Michael Mann to join Penn faculty
Mann is the first new faculty member to be recruited as part of the recently announced Energy and Sustainability Initiative as a Presidential Distinguished Professor in the Department of Earth and Environmental Science.
Inspiring people, place, and purpose
Penn President Amy Gutmann’s record tenure of nearly 18 years is the University’s most transformative.
Understanding climate stories
In the latest episode of Penn Today’s “Understand This …” podcast series, Bethany Wiggin of the School of Arts & Sciences and Jennifer Pinto-Martin of the School of Nursing discuss climate stories, climate grief, and climate literacy.
A call for tools to navigate the future of the Delaware River watershed
The Penn Program in Environmental Humanities is partnering with Philadelphia’s Independence Seaport Museum to solicit designs for tools to help Delaware River watershed residents adapt and respond to climate change and other ecological challenges.
How consumers and retailers can reduce returns
Wharton’s Gad Allon looks at how both retailers and consumers alike can improve the reverse supply chain and increase awareness of the toll that a massive rate of returns takes.
In the News
A sport-fishing boat pollutes ‘as much as 162 school buses.’ Will boat businesses survive regulation?
Cary Coglianese of the Law School weighed in on the potential impact of proposed boating regulations in California, which some argue could negatively affect mom-and-pop sport-fishing and whale-watching businesses. “You could say society is subsidizing these businesses,” Coglianese said. “We are incurring the cost of this harmful pollution.”
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Fighting food waste, one apple at a time
Strella Biotechnology, a company housed in Pennovation and co-founded by then junior Katherine Sizov, a winner of the 2019 President’s Innovation Prize, is working to reduce food waste using biosensors to monitor ethylene, a natural gas that ripens fruits and vegetables. “If we don’t solve this food waste problem now, it will become a lot more expensive later,” Sizov said. “As our climate becomes more volatile, this is going to crop up more and more.”
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How I cut my use of fossil fuels: Tips from the pros
Arthur van Benthem of the Wharton School said he’s reducing his carbon emissions by taking fewer flights, riding his bike more, buying less clothing, and heating and cooling his home more conservatively.
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When bad news about the climate is good for green stock
Robert F. Stambaugh of the Wharton School said that by driving up the price of green stocks investors may be inadvertently increasing the expected returns for less environmentally friendly stocks. Stambaugh co-authored a paper on the dynamic with Wharton colleague Lucian Taylor.
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Can the Fed help solve climate change?
Christina Parajon Skinner of the Wharton School discussed how central banks like the Bank of England have shifted toward green investments. The U.S. Federal Reserve, she said, could have a significant impact on climate change: “People say, Well, we’ve got gridlock in Congress, and we have an effective institution that maybe could do something to bring us toward greener equilibriums. And that's really a fundamental question that is about climate change, but it's also about, you know, American democracy.”
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A better way to cool ourselves
Dorit Aviv of the Stuart Weitzman School of Design and international collaborators wrote an opinion piece about their work developing a healthier and more sustainable alternative to air conditioning.
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