It's not always easy being green, but Penn's Civic House is willing to try.
Students and faculty at the Civic House, a hub for students interested in community service, are working on a proposal to make the building more environmentally friendly.
Possible innovations outlined in the proposal include constructing a greenhouse behind the building, transforming the front yard into a garden and making the building wheelchair-accessible.
Civic House faculty adviser and History professor Walter Licht said the plans, if enacted, will set the building apart from all others at Penn.
"There is nothing on campus that is 'green,' or even close," he said.
Licht met with Civic House student leaders and the project's architect, Todd Woodward, yesterday about the plans, which also incorporate solar power and recycled building materials.
They are, however, still just plans, and there is no set completion date or cost.
Penn's Vice President for Facilities and Real Estate Services Omar Blaik approved the project in 2002, but it has been delayed since then because the departure of former President Judith Rodin and the arrival of Amy Gutmann prevented the house from receiving necessary funding, Civic House Director David Grossman said.
In addition to aiding the environment, the proposed changes will also further the house's educational goals, Woodward said.
The greenhouse, for example, could not only treat waste water but would also serve as a meeting area for classes or organizations.
Licht said he hopes Civic House will also help educate students in West Philadelphia.
"It could be a place where teachers from schools in West Philadelphia bring their students to learn about the environment," Licht said.
Yet the changes are not solely environmental. Woodward said the building will receive a slight facelift as well.
"We noticed that the front yard is often damp," Woodward said. "So we want to take the negative and turn it interesting by creating a pool and planting plants that grow well in that environment."
Woodward added that the front yard will give the building a residential air and make it seem more inviting.
The plans to create the wheel-chair accessible entrance aim at creating an open building in which "everyone has the same experience," Woodward said.
Students have been meeting to gather support for the project and plan to move forward rapidly after spring break.
"The timing's right," Civic House Chairman and College sophomore Nick Roosevelt said. "Now we're trying bring the campus up to date on the project."
Blaik agreed on the importance of the effort.
"Civic House is symbolic and can serve as an example," he said. "It's harder to make the high rises sustainable, but Civic House can educate the campus."
