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Sustainable design presentation at WRT Associates. Building Green project. Credit: Sarah Kinosian

Like anyone who has lived in the high rises, Soleil Roberts has had her fair share of encounters with the notorious section of Locust Walk known as the wind tunnel.

One day last year, the now-College senior half-jokingly tossed an idea around with her Environmental Science professor, saying, "You should put up a windmill here - you could power the whole school."

Now, her idea could someday become a reality: Roberts is part of a new class designed to study sustainability and develop ideas to improve Penn's environmental impact.

As part of the class, called "Toward Sustainability on Penn's Campus," students will formally present these ideas to the administration at the end of the semester.

Environmental Studies professors Robert Giegengack and Stan Laskowski co-teach the class, which was inspired by a pledge that Penn President Amy Gutmann signed last February committing the University to developing a comprehensive sustainability plan by 2009.

The plan includes inventorying all of Penn's greenhouse-gas emissions, purchasing at least 15 percent of energy from renewable resources and implementing a new energy-efficient appliance-purchasing program.

The goal for the class - which the professors hope to offer again - is to have students look at some sustainability projects that the University has already begun and build on that, Laskowksi said.

"The folks that are working on these issues around Penn are very receptive to volunteering to help the students with their projects," he said. "There has been tremendous support from the people trying to make a difference."

Daniel Garofalo, Penn's senior facilities planner, said Penn Facilities has had much interaction with the class, making presentations on University sustainability and suggesting projects, many of which have been taken on by students.

The enthusiasm about the class, with students ranging from undergraduates and Ph.D.s to staff and administrators, is widespread.

One Environmental Studies graduate student, Stephanie Chiorean, helped plan the course over the summer, contacting officials at Penn and gathering information so students in the class could get down to business right away.

"I really wanted it to be more of an interactive and hands-on class to make people see that . if you picked a project where some of the legwork has already been done, you can do a lot more with implementation," she said.

And students in the class are excited to get their hands dirty and start working on projects with visible results.

"We have a whole department of students who study environmental science," College senior Kyle Sirianno said. "It's nice to get away from data and start solving problems."

Sirianno will be studying Penn's contribution to pollutants in soil and groundwater while other students look at energy-related issues from different perspectives.

College junior Michelle Jacobson, meanwhile, is looking at "food miles" - the energy needed "to bring nature to your plate," she said.

And while there might not be an energy-producing windmill on Locust Walk in the near future, Roberts is thinking of setting up a demonstration windmill to raise awareness for renewable energy at Penn.

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