The Environment @ PENN

Green Power

Pledging to significantly reduce emissions that contribute to global warming, President Amy Gutmann signed the American College University Presidents Climate Commitment in February 2007. The Climate Commitment includes drafting an action plan by 2009 to achieve long term climate neutrality.

Penn's first step toward climate neutrality was completed in August 2007, a comprehensive inventory of Penn's greenhouse gas emissions. Penn already exceeds the other initial requirements of the Commitment by purchasing 30% of its electrical energy from wind sources, adopting an energy efficient appliance purchasing program, matching the U.S. Green Building Council LEED rating system in new buildings standards, and providing public transit access for faculty, students and staff. Penn won two awards from the EPA for our purchase of green power in 2006. We were given the "Individual Conference Champion" in the Ivy League by purchasing 112,000,000 kWh of power, 77.9% of all the green power in the Ivy League. Penn also received the "2006-07 College & University Green Power Challenge Collective Conference Champion" for helping the Ivy League achieve the largest collective purchase of green power.

Penn is fulfilling its curriculum and student life components of the Commitment by including students on its Sustainability Advisory Group, inaugurating an undergraduate course on the Commitment, and holding a symposium on Penn's initiative in October 2007.

The Operations Control Center in Facilities Services control and monitor the entire campus and run our centralized chilled water and steam distribution plant.