ENVS494 - Sustainable Initiatives in Higher Education

In 2007, Penn became one of the first universities in the country to commit to creating a more sustainable campus. President Amy Gutmann's press release on February 7, 2005 announced that Penn would develop a comprehensive sustainability plan by 2009. In President Gutmann's speech, she stated that Penn's sustainability plan would, "Include completing a comprehensive inventory of all its greenhouse gas emissions; purchasing at least 15 percent of its electricity from renewable sources; adopting an energy efficient appliance purchasing program; committing to a policy that new construction be built to the US Green Building Council LEED Silver standards, or equivalent; and providing access to public transit for faculty, students, and staff."


How has Penn's "environmental footprint" changed? The students will build on the work of others, document existing efforts at Penn, and benchmark against other universities. The course will explore the issues mentioned above and and will also address issues such as storm-water management, the greening of campus, and leadership in the nearby community. The students will establish baseline data and measurement strategies so that success can be measured, and then will develop strategies to collect and analyze additional data. Included in the course will be the concepts of environmental management systems, secondary impacts (e.g., commuting habits of Penn employees), pollution prevention, and life-cycle analysis. Each student or group of students, will select an area of focus for their research exercise (e.g., energy, recycling, green buildings) and develop a report that can be used by the Penn administration to advance Penn's efforts toward sustainability. The students a cumulative class report summarizing their ideas for improvement. This report will be delivered the President's Office.