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Relieving water scarcity, one home at a time
Four smiling students posing by a blue container with a level on top of it

Members of the Penn chapter of nonprofit organization Isla Urbana, including (from left) Samira Mehta, Wanqi Fang, Pallavi Menon, and Imañia Powers, helped to install rainwater harvesting and filtration systems in Mexico City this summer. (Photo: Lucia Palmarini)

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.

Gina Vitale

A thousand new homes are planned next to Graffiti Pier
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.”

‘Design with Nature,’ 50 years later
Banff National Park, Alberta

‘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.

Penn Today Staff

Keeping rain out of the drain
A scientist kneeling on a lawn checks a well using electronic monitoring equipment

David Vann of the School of Arts and Sciences heads up the research efforts around Shoemaker Green’s stormwater management system. Using sensors placed around the site, he hopes to be able to closely monitor how much water drains out of the system, and how quickly. 

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.

Katherine Unger Baillie

Predilections of a destructive pest
A person removes a sticky band covered with insects from around a tree

At four areas around The Woodlands, Rohr will be checking weekly to see how many lanternflies he finds. The insect prefers ailanthus trees, but also feeds on dozens of other species.

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.

Katherine Unger Baillie

With unprecedent threats to nature at hand, how to turn the tide
A frog resting on a rusting surface

The report notes that declining biodiversity takes a toll not only on the species directly affected, but also on human livelihoods and health.

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.

Katherine Unger Baillie, Michele W. Berger

The beauty of the two-wheeled commute
Bike rider in the rain coming down a street with cars and trucks in the opposite lane

Karen Wisnia rides to her Penn Medicine office rain or shine, a waterproof bag being a crucial piece of gear. (Photo: Eric Sucar)

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.

Katherine Unger Baillie

Confronting inequities, sharing solutions
A group of three rows of people wearing nametags poses for a photo.

This year’s Global Water Alliance Conference convened a diverse cross-section of individuals from backgrounds ranging from engineering to social justice. Their common thread? A shared interest in erasing disparities in access to clean water. (Photo: Pheng Tang/Global Water Alliance)

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.

Katherine Unger Baillie

By the Numbers: 2018 Penn Sustainability Report
Students sit in circle under a tree

Students lounge on the grass of College Green. (Photo: Penn Sustainability)

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.