Sustainability, eastward expansion go forward

Penn may be red and blue, but officials are making room for some green, too.

The University Council held its monthly meeting yesterday, discussing environmental sustainability, updates on eastward expansion and changes in the body's bylaws.

The UC, composed of faculty, undergraduates, graduate students and University administrators, deals with issues that affect the entire University.

After touching on environmentally related issues last semester, the UC's Committee on Facilities passed four proposals geared toward furthering Penn's green initiatives.

The first proposal recommended the creation of a single committee to represent all campus organizations on environmental issues. To that end, Facilities and Real Estate Services Vice President Anne Papageorge announced the launching of an advisory committee.

With this group, "we [can] think about the ways in which we can most effectively move forward," University President Amy Gutmann said.

Other approved recommendations included contacting sustainability coordinators from other institutions for guidance; setting goals, standards and an implementation schedule for sustainability performance; and continuing to "support" the evaluation work being conducted by the TC Chan Center for Building Simulation and Energy Studies, which focuses on environmental studies and research.

When talking about the state of Penn's current sustainability efforts, Papageorge referenced Penn's placement as one of the top 25 schools with high grades on its greening efforts from the Sustainability Endowments Institute, a Massachusetts-based institute that studies University-orchestrated sustainability efforts.

College junior Mike Poll, who serves as the director of the Green Campus Partnership - a student environmental group - and the associate director of the Penn Environmental Group, said the biggest change the University has made with regard to these issues is that it "finally has an idea of where we are and what we do well" with regard to sustainability.

Though Poll does not sit on the UC, his organizations worked with the Facilities Committee to develop a plan of action.

The biggest areas meriting improvement are recycling, reducing energy usage and design and construction, he said.

Also at the meeting:

n Executive Vice President Craig Carnaroli presented updated plans for upcoming renovations of athletic facilities that will allow "for a faster development of the athletic and recreational precinct."

Whereas the former plan had one major construction period for athletic fields, the new one entails phased construction and more flexibility so that renovations can begin sooner.

n The UC voted to replace both the Committee on Pluralism and the Affirmative Action Council with the UC Committee on Diversity and Equity.

The replacement was done primarily because the two existing committees overlapped in membership and goals.

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