Department of Earth and Environmental Science

Institute for Environmental Studies

Highlights

This section provides information on recent environmental events, workshops, and happenings on the University of Pennsylvania campus, and other noteworthy activities by students, faculty, and staff who are interested in environmental issues. Also highlighted are the two priority areas for the Institute for Environmental Studies - urban environmental issues and watersheds. These areas are unusually complex and require integrated solutions, which the Institute is promoting with expertise from across the University.

Our Highlights

Global Water and Sanitation

Campus Greening

Every 20 seconds someone in the world, usually a child, dies from a water-related complication, representing one of the greatest environmental and health problems that we face. Throughout the world, over one billion people do not have access to safe drinking water and over two billion people do not have adequate sanitation. As part of their Millennium Development Goals [MDGs], the United Nations has established specific targets to address these issues. Specifically, the targets are, by the year 2015, to reduce by half the percentage of the world population who do not have access to safe drinking water or adequate sanitation.

In collaboration with the United Nations, government partners, the private sector, and non-government organizations [NGOs], the University of Pennsylvania’s Institute for Environmental Studies has developed a program to address these critical issues. Four courses have been developed as part of the Master of Environmental Studies [MES] program that relate to the complex policy, management, legal, technical, and other issues involved. As part of the course curriculum, students will meet with senior officials from the collaborating organizations and also conduct research in each of their areas of interest. One of the courses includes trips to the United Nation and to Washington, DC to discuss these critical issues with internationally-recognized leaders. Some examples of student research include water and sanitation issues in specific countries [eg, Kenya; China; Bolivia] and critical issues [eg, privatization of water systems; microfinance; gender and water; rainwater harvesting]. United Nations officials have provided a list of topics for additional student research.

In addition to their coursework, students often obtain hands-on experience. For example, one student recently completed an independent study of water and wastewater issues in Nepal, and other students have served as interns working on these issues at the US Environmental Protection Agency [USEPA] and the United Nations. The University’s student chapter of “Engineers Without Borders” has traveled to Honduras to assist a small community with their water problems. A network of environmental professionals from the Philadelphia Region has been established to provide advice on these global water and sanitation issues.

This initiative is being coordinated by Stanley L Laskowski, Lecturer/Advisor in the MES program, and former Senior Executive at the USEPA. Please send any inquiries to: slaskows@sas.upenn.edu. Course syllabus and selected student research papers are available upon request.

The University of Pennsylvania Goes Green!

The official colors of the University of Pennsylvania may be red and blue, but many think that green also describes the University. Faculty and students are actively engaged in setting the example for a healthier environment and a better quality of life.

Some of our "green" activities are:

The Penn Environmental Group (PEG) is a group of students who provide campus leadership on such cases as energy conservation, recycling, and campus greening. More information.

Under a new agreement, the University of Pennsylvania will now purchase 27 percent of its energy needs from wind-generated power, nearly tripling its wind-energy purchase. More information.

UC Green (University City Green), an initiative of the University of Pennsylvania, manages a continuous campaign to plant trees on campus and in the surrounding neighborhood, create and maintain greenways along streets and pathways to schools and parks, landscape and plant around homes and apartments and the convert vacant lots into community assets. More information

University of Pennsylvania Facilities has implemented an aggressive program of energy conservation, including reduction of peak hour usage, improving heating efficiency in campus buildings, and investigating the usage of alternative-fuel vehicles.

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