Planning | Design | Construction
Climate Actions
Penn Engineering is committed to sustainability, energy, and climate research, education and behaviors.
- LEED silver is a requirement for construction on the University’s campus. Penn Engineering requires LEED interiors CI for significant interior renovations and LEED Gold for our new buildings.
- Penn Engineering collaborated with Penn Sustainability to build the green guidelines for all projects that don’t meet LEED requirements. These green guidelines are used for renovations at Penn Engineering.
- Penn Engineering maximizes opportunities for facilities renewal to reduce our carbon footprint. We continuously prioritize replacing our building’s HVAC infrastructure with components and processes that achieve higher efficiencies.
- Significant energy, sustainability, and environmental research is conducted at Penn Engineering.
- Penn Engineering faculty teach 48 courses in energy and the environment.
- Penn Engineering has adopted bird friendly guidelines for all exterior renovations and new building construction. These guidelines help to minimize the number of window bird strikes and reduce harm to aviary life on campus.
- When renovation or new construction projects aim to install, replace, or repair traditional water fountains, Penn Engineering requires that water bottle refill stations are installed. Each refill station records the count of single-use plastic bottles diverted and Penn Engineering provides the combined data to FRES.
- Penn Engineering bottle Filling Station Map
- Campus Wide Bottle Filling Station Map
- Offices throughout Penn Engineering are Green Office certified (through Penn). We are increasing the number of offices and renewing expiring certificates. This impacts procurement of office supplies and other materials, recycling and printing practices, events, travel, and more.
- Penn Engineering is a lead participant in Climate Week and hosts 3-6 talks each year in energy, climate, and sustainability research, student projects, and buildings.
- Treeswift and the Penn Journey: From Research to Startup
- VIPER Lightning Talks: Addressing Energy Challenges Through Undergraduate Research
- Plastic Waste: Global Challenge and Opportunities
- Climate Change and Cities
- Sustainability and the Built Environment: Building Materials and Cooling Strategies that Combat a Warming Planet
- Penn Electric Racing and Battery Innovation
- Penn Engineering prioritizes furniture reuse programs. Each year, we reuse several tons of furniture throughout our buildings. Any furniture unable to be reused at the school is reused elsewhere or diverted from landfill by using e-force recycling facilities.
- Penn Engineering maximizes opportunities for facilities renewal to reduce our carbon footprint. We have replaced approximately 90% of our building’s aging HVAC infrastructure, including many FRF projects and the LRSM century bond project.
- Penn Engineering has the first and one of the largest, if not the largest, recycling centers on campus, collecting light bulbs, books, electronics, cardboard, pens and markers, Styrofoam, and toner. The facility doesn’t includes battery recycling stations, but they can be found throughout our department offices.
- The Penn Engineering Green Team is an active organization celebrating over 10 years of promoting sustainable education, news, practices and events. Members of the team span the majority of our departments, helping to keep the entire Engineering community updated on sustainable happenings.