Sustainability | Penn Today

Revealed: millions of Americans can’t afford water as bills rise 80% in a decade

Howard Neukrug of the School of Arts & Sciences spoke about the rising cost of water in the U.S. “High-cost low-quality water is a national issue. The federal government is clearly not playing the role it needs to play,” he said.

Supporting agriculture and a safe food supply

Essential workers in the School of Veterinary Medicine are caring for livestock, keeping track of disease, ensuring product consistency, and communicating with farmers to ensure that farms can continue providing a reliable food supply for the community.

Nature as a refuge in unsettling times

Even before the pandemic, campus initiatives like NatureRx@Penn and the 30x30 Challenge encouraged time outside. These efforts are continuing, now that restorative outlets are more important than ever.

A bushfire burning in Queensland Australia

Urban planning for biodiversity after bushfires

The Weitzman School’s Richard Weller visited Sydney for a two-week intensive on critical urban challenges and converting a parkland into an incubator for wildlife.

Amazing cows hold promise in pioneering sustainable food systems

Researchers at Penn Vet are discovering that cows and other livestock found in animal agriculture are critical partners in developing sustainable, regenerative agro-food systems.

Shuttered Philadelphia refinery may get new life after fire

Mark Alan Hughes of the Kleinman Center for Energy Policy spoke about the possibility of converting the old Philadelphia refinery into a hybrid plant that also produces renewable fuels. “They’re predicting a steadily declining place for things like the refinery that was,” he said. “The kind of mix that tries to lower the profile of fossil fuel activity is, I think, the most likely outcome.”

a map of the united states with colored dots showing different types of land usage

‘An Atlas for the Green New Deal’

The McHarg Center releases a new collection of maps and datascapes capturing the spatial consequences of climate change in support of a coordinated national response.

Person walks a black Labrador retriever puppy along a path from a parking lot

Side Gigs for Good, part two

In a second installment of Side Gigs for Good stories, meet four more Penn employees whose after-work endeavors go above and beyond.

Two people standing bewteen two clothing racks in a crowded thrift shop space. On the back wall, the word "U Lounge" hangs in brightly colored block letters.

As good as new at Penn Closet

The student-run thrift shop on the ground floor of Williams Hall gives clothes and other items a second life, plus offers donators and shoppers a simple way to practice sustainability.

Person wearing a virtual reality headset looks to the side, standing next to a statue facing the same direction

Immersive stories to spur action on climate

Organized by the Penn Program in Environmental Humanities (PPEH), a two-day festival, “Environmental Storytelling and Virtual Reality” begins Friday, and will explore how virtual reality and other immersive storytelling might inspire action on climate change.

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