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Sustainability
Relieving water scarcity, one home at a time
Relieving water scarcity, one home at a time
Due to a rapidly depleting underground aquifer, many residents of Mexico City are left with little-to-no easily accessible clean water for hours or days at a time. This summer, members of the Penn chapter of Isla Urbana helped install rainwater harvesting and filtration systems to provide residents of the Mexican capital with clean water year-round.
‘Design with Nature,’ 50 years later
‘Design with Nature,’ 50 years later
Beginning on the Summer Solstice, the Ian L. McHarg Center for Urbanism and Ecology at the Weitzman School is presenting Design With Nature Now, a multi-platform exploration of the legacy of visionary environmental planner and landscape architect Ian L. McHarg.
Keeping rain out of the drain
Keeping rain out of the drain
From cisterns beneath Shoemaker Green to the green roof on New College House, special features of campus buildings and landscapes are helping manage stormwater to keep rain from the sewer lines, and scholars are using the infrastructure as a research opportunity.
Predilections of a destructive pest
Predilections of a destructive pest
The spotted lanternfly is emerging as a serious threat to agriculture and forested areas. At The Woodlands Cemetery near campus, Benjamin Rohr hopes to determine the types of trees the insect prefers to shape control strategies moving forward.
With unprecedent threats to nature at hand, how to turn the tide
With unprecedent threats to nature at hand, how to turn the tide
One million plant and animal species are on the verge of extinction due to human activity, according to a U.N. assessment issued earlier this month. Here, experts highlight the report’s major messages and offer ideas for moving from inertia to action to stem threats to biodiversity.
The beauty of the two-wheeled commute
The beauty of the two-wheeled commute
On Bike to Work Day, Penn will fete two-wheeled commuters with snacks, showers, and swag. For many at the University, commuting by bike is a way of life. Five Penn staff and faculty share how they make it work and why they keep riding.
Lightbulb moment: A snap-on solution for energy conservation
Lightbulb moment: A snap-on solution for energy conservation
Senior Wharton student Michael Wong won a President’s Innovation Prize for his startup InstaHub.
Confronting inequities, sharing solutions
Confronting inequities, sharing solutions
At the annual meeting of the Global Water Alliance, faculty, students, and practitioners shared solutions and challenges around the issues of water access, sanitation, and hygiene in the U.S. and around the world.
By the Numbers: 2018 Penn Sustainability Report
By the Numbers: 2018 Penn Sustainability Report
Seven highlights from this year’s Sustainability Report show progress on how the University is faring with its target goals to improve environmental sustainability.
Going plastic neutral
Going plastic neutral
The winners of a 2018 Penn President’s Engagement Prize are launching a new venture to address the global problem of plastic waste.
In the News
WHYY (Philadelphia)
A thousand new homes are planned next to Graffiti Pier
Dan Garofalo of the sustainability office commented on a proposal for a new housing development near Port Richmond. The project has been critiqued for the stark appearance of its proposed ground-floor parking garages. However, Garofalo notes, the garages’ walls currently are set to face a row of warehouses. “Maybe in 10 years we’ll see a developer come in, take these old warehouses, and put something else there. It’s incumbent upon you to think of the future.”
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