ENVS 409: Environmental Impacts of Urban Housing focuses specifically on the problems of building and renovating homes to minimize environmental health risks and the waste of natural resources and to optimize the impact on physical surroundings. Homes can be built and renovated to decrease environmental health risks. Househoolds are large consumers of natural resources such as energy, water, and raw materials as well as contributors of significant amounts of waste to local landfills. Conservation of natural resources not only has a positive economic benefit but also is important in saving diminishing resources.
The goal of the Housing course is to provide students with the knowledge and the opportunity to apply their learning to the real-world projects in the community. The Housing course would encourage good stewardship of natural resources and raise awareness of the environmental impacts of house building and renovation.
Penn students will be working with people in the community to jointly build and renovate homes that will contribute to the vitality of the neighborhood. These building days will serve as a laboratory for the students to apply their learning and to explore research opportunities. Collaboration with Habitat for Humanity and other groups will provide the community service-learning component of this course. ENVS 409 will be offered in the spring.