University of Pennsylvania
ER-T2-1: Student Group

STUDENT SUSTAINABILITY ASSOCIATION at PENN - As the official student sustainability umbrella group, the Student Sustainability Association at Penn (SSAP) was founded in 2010 to foster cohesion among the multiple pre-existing environmentally-focused student groups, develop strategies for impacting campus sustainability, and create a unified student voice on green issues at Penn. As the student environmental community has grown immensely since the 2009 launch of Penn's Climate Action Plan, the SSAP helps to foster increased collaboration among the 20+ student environmental groups on campus and between students, staff, and faculty working on environmental issues. SSAP meets once a month and all student environmental groups each send a representative to attend the meeting.

ECO-REPS - Penn's environmental leadership program that focuses on raising awareness of environmental issues and impacting the behavior of individuals across the campus through an extensive network of students, faculty, and staff.

PENN ENVIRONMENTAL GROUP - The University of Pennsylvania Environmental Group (PEG) is a student run group aiming to increase campus awareness of global environmental issues across the Penn community and throughout the world. PEG seeks to incorporate ideals from a diverse community, and expose the campus, community and the world at large to an expanded knowledge of environmental issues.

COMMUNITECH - CommuniTech is a student organization in the School of Engineering & Applied Sciences that assists neighborhoods in need by supplying local nonprofits and schools with computers and teaching technology skills. Their efforts stem from the recognition that the computer has become a central facet of everyday life. CommuniTech regularly holds e-waste recycling drives and computer donation drives.

ENGINEERS WITHOUT BORDERS - PennEWB is a non-profit humanitarian organization established to partner with developing communities worldwide in order to improve their quality of life through sustainable projects.

KELLY WRITERS HOUSE - The Kelly Writers House is a center for writers of all kinds from Penn and the Philadelphia region at large. Kelly Writers House is in the beginning stages of adding green programming to their list of activities.

OIKOS PENN - Oikos is an international student organization for sustainable economics and management. As a leading reference point for the promotion of sustainability change agents, activities include lectures, conferences, simulation games, seminars, case competitions and practice-oriented learning projects. Their activities are conducted within the framework of a constructive and open-minded dialogue.

PENN COMMUNITY AGAINST MOUNTAIN TOP REMOVAL -PCAMTR is a coalition of groups at Penn committed to social and environmental justice. They joined with Earth Quaker Action Team and members of the university communities at Temple, Swarthmore, Bryn Mawr, and Haverford to put an end to mountaintop removal coal mining.

PENNCYCLE - Penncycle is a student-run bike-loan program open to all Penn students, faculty, and staff. The pilot was awarded a Green Fund Grant, which provided the capital to purchase and maintain bikes during the pilot period.

PENN INTERNATIONAL SUSTAINABILITY ASSOCIATION - The Penn International Sustainability Association (PISA) was formed to promote awareness of the crucial links between business and sustainability to Penn students. PISA aims to establish connections between students and leaders in sustainable business, policy, and technology; improve student awareness of local, regional, national, and international green businesses and policy initiatives; and further develop a culture of environmental, economic, and social responsibility at the University of Pennsylvania that extends to the local, state, regional, national, and international communities.

PENN GARDEN - Penn Garden was awarded a Green Fund Grant in Fall 2009 to plan and implement a demonstration vegetable garden and urban agriculture project on Penn's campus.

PENN SUSTAINABILITY REVIEW (PSR) - Penn Sustainability Review is a student-run online and print publication featuring sustainability-related opinion editorials, leadership interviews, and academic papers. PSR aims to provide a platform for all members of the Penn community to exchange knowledge, ideas, and perspectives on wide-ranging sustainability issues. Over the course of every academic year, the PSR team publishes a print publication and maintains regular online editorial updates that incorporate relevant thought-provoking articles. Both the print and online editions of the PSR cover a number of topics including climate change, green architecture, corporate strategic sustainability, resource and energy conservation, public policy, and sustainable technology. PSR was awarded a Green Fund Grant in Fall 2011.

PENN VEGAN SOCIETY - The Penn Vegan Society raises awareness on the personal health, animal ethics, and environmental issues related to the production and consumption of food. The group meets several times each semester and organizes social events that are geared toward educating the campus community about the benefits of a vegan diet.

POWER UP GAMBIA -Founded by a student in the Penn School of Medicine, Power Up Gambia is a non-profit group that aims to provide reliable electricity and water to healthcare facilities in the Gambia through development of solar energy. The group works to raise awareness on campus about the lack of reliable electricity in developing countries.

SEAS GREEN - SEAS Green is an environmental club with an engineering focus, run out of the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences.

WHARTON ENERGY CLUB - The Wharton Energy Club enhances recruiting into the energy industry and aims to establish Wharton as a thought leader in the sector, while offering insight into merchant energy, renewable energy, utilities, and traditional oil and gas companies.

Penn Sustainability Review (PSR) is a peer-reviewed undergraduate journal on sustainability initiated with a green fund grant. PSR is a student-run online and print publication featuring sustainability-related opinion editorials, leadership interviews, and academic papers. Both the print and online editions of the PSR cover a number of topics including: climate change, green architecture, corporate strategic sustainability, resource and energy conservation, public policy, and sustainable technology. The first issue of PSR was published in Fall 2012.

Green Week is a week devoted to sustainability events in the spring coordinated by the Student Sustainability Association at Penn. It showcases the wide range of opportunities available to students interested in getting involved with Penn’s environmental sustainability efforts. Events include speakers, sustainability-quizzo, a bike tour, Appalachian story hour, and earth hour. Green Week is capped off each year by Greenfest.

Greenfest is a semi-annual event held by Penn Environmental Group in the fall and during Green Week in the spring. The event brings together environmental groups and initiatives on Penn’s campus and across Philadelphia, raising awareness, boosting enthusiasm and fueling participation for the green movement. Student groups participate by manning a table with a representative from their group to explain their current environmental efforts.

Earth Hour is an annual event started by the World Wildlife Fund and hosted in cities around the world. Penn Environmental Group hosted Philadelphia's official event in 2012 and will continue the tradition in 2013. From 8:30 to 9:30 on a Saturday at the end of March, students living in the high rises are asked to turn off their lights in order to make a statement about resource waste. PEG collaborates with facilities staff to turn off lights around campus. In 2012 and 2013 the event is hosted around a fire pit with s'more-making and live acoustic music.