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The Staff & Faculty Eco-Reps program is a peer education program that provides the tools to improve the environmental sustainability of offices at the University of Pennsylvania.
Spring 2017 Issue
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On December 14th, Staff & Faculty Eco-Reps hosted their final
meeting of
2016 with an awards luncheon recognizing exceptional members who accomplished their original goals and went above and beyond in their role as sustainability ambassadors. Award winners included:
Best Team Effort: The Nursing Eco-Reps (Joe Gomez, Lucia DiNapoli, Meredith Swinney)
Most Impactful: Danielle Cavalcanto (with green superhero cape for overall enthusiasm)
Most Creative: Ellen Iwamoto (with green glasses, in recognition of organizing the eyeglass recycling program)
Green Perseverance: Laura Sprague & Kris Forrest
Honorable Mention:
Ray Aull &
Tracy Hawkins (with green pen, in recognition of organizing the writing instrument recycling program)
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Senior Leadership Recommendations
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We spent our first meeting of 2017 participating in a "default" creation exercise which will result in a list of policy recommendations to be submitted to Penn's Senior Leadership. This exercise was inspired the Principles of Climate Change Communication, the article that the Eco-Reps Book Club read in 2016, which the Steering Committee encourages all members to take a look at! They put together this prompt to help Eco-Reps familiarize themselves with the text:
Got 5 Minutes?
Got a Day?
Got a Month?
Apply 8 Principles of the Psychology of Climate Change Communication to a current sustainability project and do research with further readings
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 At our January meeting, we heard from Jessica Baumert, Executive Director of The Woodlands, who introduced the Grave Gardeners program. The Grave Gardeners are a group of volunteers who are each assigned a cradle grave to adopt at The Woodlands cemetery. The graves were originally designed to be planters, and would have been planted by loved ones in the Victorian era. The Grave Gardeners tend to their assigned cradle grave throughout from March through October, planting the area with flowers and shrubs that align with the Woodland's Victorian-era aesthetic.
Ellen Iwamoto will be leading a group of Eco-Reps in taking care of one grave site this season. This is great way to learn about gardening and the history of the Woodlands. And it's a great opportunity to get outside and give back to the West Philly community! Please
email Ellen if you are interested in volunteering. You can find more information, including the full list of Grave Gardeners workshops, in Jessica's presentation
here .
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New Sustainable Food Opportunities and Website
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A number of Community Supported Agriculture and Farm Share programs now deliver straight to the Penn campus. To promote these initiatives, the Sustainability Office has put together a
new webpage
listing Farm Share and CSA opportunities.
In the past, Eco-Reps have heard from representatives from Red Earth Farm and the Common Market, organizations that have both been delivering sustainably-grown, local veggies to Penn for the last few years. Their programs continue to serve as sustainable food options for Penn staff, faculty, and students.
A new farm is interested in providing local, sustainable produce to the Penn community. Sorbello Farms, founded in the 1930's, is in its 3rd generation of family farmers. Located in Swedesboro, New Jersey, Sorbello Farms has grown to a 1,000 acre operation and is regarded as one of the top vegetable farms in the state. They offer South Jersey's only year round fruit & vegetable CSA with the convenience of weekly doorstep delivery. A yearly $25 membership fee secures your spot to purchase from their farm. They utilize a "pay as you go" purchase model so you only order a box when you want it.
Sorbello Farms is currently renovating their website for upcoming CSA signups, but for now, you can find more information about them
here. As more opportunities become available for the Penn community to purchase and enjoy sustainable and locally-grown food, we will be sure to share them.
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The Power Down Challenge, Penn's annual energy
conservation campaign, is ongoing
throughout February. During the month, the Sustainability Office will be collaborating with campus partners for educational events and programs focusing on energy conservation
and innovation. Check out
these
upcoming opportunities for Staff and Faculty:
- Feb 1-28: Energy Habits Survey
- Feb 1-28: Discounts on Energy Efficient Products
- Feb 20: Space Heater Amnesty Day
- Feb 21: Lecture by James Ramsey of the Lowline, NYC
- Feb 22: Energy Reduction Challenge
- Feb 22: Lights Out Staff and Faculty Eco-Reps Meeting
- Feb 22: SAS Energy Reduction Challenge Brown Bag Luncheons
- Feb 24: Merchants of Doubt Film Screening (Part 2)
You can find details about all of these events on our "Happenings" web page. |
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Bicycle Commuter Reimbursement Program
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Beginning in January, the Penn Transit Services has announced that it will add a bicycle commuting reimbursement to its employee benefits package beginning in January 2017. This means that for regular bike commuters, expenses like tune-ups, new bike lights and replacement handlebars will be covered for up to $20 per month or $240 per year. This is a big step forward in terms of both recognizing cyclists as commuters and promoting more sustainable modes of transportation. For more information, please see the Penn Parking Services
website.
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The 30x30 Challenge
Challenge yourself to spend at least 30 minutes outdoors each day
during the month of April! Americans spend approximately 90% of their time indoors, according to the EPA. The 30x30 Challenge is an effort to encourage the Penn community to get outside, learn about local ecology, and appreciate the beauty of nature.
Optional group activities will be scheduled throughout the month, including a Kick-Off Picnic that celebrates the start of the Challenge. This year, we will be partnering with Campus Health, Penn Recreation, and the Human Resources Wellness program to host some new, interesting events.
Please check out the
30x30 webpage which will be updated in late February. Registration will open in mid- March.
Creating Canopy 
For the 4th year in a row, the Sustainability Office and Facilities
and
Real Estate Services
will be partnering with the TreePhilly
program to host the Creating Canopy Tree Giveaway. This event supports the continual 'greening' of our communities in the Greater Philadelphia area. Participants can register to receive a free tree if they live in Philadelphia or surrounding suburbs.
This year's giveaway will take place on May 4th. Registration will be open for two weeks in April. Please see
this page
for more information.
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| Upcoming Eco-Reps Meetings |
| Wednesday, February 22, 12-1pm, ARCH 108 Tuesday, March 28, 12-1pm, ARCH 108 Thursday, April 27, 12-1pm, ARCH 108 Wednesday, May 31, 12-1pm, ARCH 108 |
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