5/18
Sustainability
What to know about Penn’s Eco-Reps program
Four representatives from across the University talk about how this group provides a campus community that helps fight climate change, plus ways people, offices, and labs can get involved.
A fish harvest that’s more sustainable—and tastier, too
December graduate Saif Khawaja’s President’s Sustainability Prize is helping him build Shinkei Systems, a company that has developed a robotics-based system for minimizing waste in the fishing industry.
The Gambia Goat Dairy builds sustainability through community
Since its founding by Penn Vet students in 2016, the Gambia Goat Dairy has worked in partnership with Gambians to serve its community. The research and teaching farm also gives current students the opportunity to use their veterinary skills for social good.
Engineering a solution for microplastic pollution
May graduates Sarah Beth Gleeson, Shoshana Weintraub, and Julia Yan will use their President’s Sustainability Prize to create a device for trapping microfibers in laundry machines to reduce ocean microplastic pollution.
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.
In the News
Could Florida electric bills go up because of a fuel made from manure?
Danny Cullenward of the Kleinman Center for Energy Policy at the Weitzman School of Design says that federal and California state subsidies have led to a gold rush of companies trying to get into the business of renewable natural gas around the country.
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Why don’t we just ban fossil fuels?
Joseph Romm of the School of Arts & Sciences says that stronger action against fossil fuels is essential to save the planet.
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UN reports worrying rates of warming as COP28 tries to tackle climate crisis
Michael Mann of the School of Arts & Sciences warns that the steady warming rate of the planet’s surface and oceans is fueling increasingly dangerous extreme weather events and coastal flooding.
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An oil executive is leading the UN climate summit. It’s going as well as you’d expect
Michael Mann of the School of Arts & Sciences says that Ahmed al-Jaber’s comments about fossil fuels betray an ignorance of climate science and a dismissiveness about the need for rapid decarbonization.
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Princeton and Penn scientists win Philly award for their climate change work
Michael Mann of the School of Arts & Sciences has won the 2023 John Scott Award for his work to address climate change.
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Should you stop flying to fight climate change?
Michael Mann of the School of Arts & Sciences says that decisions by individual climate scientists of whether or not to fly won’t change the system of air travel.
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