Eco-Reps expand reach to Hillel, throughout Philadelphia

This year, Penn’s student Eco-Reps are expanding their reach throughout campus and Philadelphia.

The program, which began in 2009 as a peer network to educate students about environmental issues and sustainable living, has forged a new partnership with Hillel.

Eco-Reps will now be involved all college houses and some Greek chapters.

There are “a lot of ways [Hillel is] seeking to connect eco-consciousness with Jewish culture and lifestyles,” Eco-Reps Program Director Julian Goresko said. In addition to partnering with Hillel’s dining hall and “greening” its events, Goresko also mentioned efforts to “bring together energy conservation with the Sabbath.”

While Hillel is unusual for the program in that it is not a residential community, Greek Eco-Reps are also not required to live in their chapter houses.
“The idea is that you’re a leader in your community, and you focus on engaging your community,” Goresko said.

Eco-Reps participate in two major service events each year, a tradition that allows the group to get to know one another, volunteer for environmental causes and connect with other sustainable initiatives in the Philadelphia area.

“I think the Eco-Reps learned a lot about why it’s important to volunteer,” said College junior Sam Lieberman, one of the program’s student coordinators.

This past Sunday, a group of approximately 90 students and staff involved with the program worked with the Schuylkill River Development Corporation to clean a new segment of the trail near Grays Ferry Crescent in South Philadelphia. Students helped plant trees, remove invasive species, paint over graffiti and clean up garbage in the area.

SRDC Operations Manager Josh Nims was encouraged by the Eco-Reps’ work on Sunday and hopes to partner with the program again for smaller events.

“I’ve had a lot of great students come out and work hard just because they wanted to do something good, but I felt like this group of students was a little more motivated than usual,” he said.

Eco-Reps are planning a power-down challenge for November that will include all the college houses. They will also coordinate Penn’s involvement in RecycleMania, a competition between North American colleges to recycle and conserve waste.

Though the program is growing in both size and scope, Environmental Sustainability Coordinator Dan Garofalo believes expansion can continue. “There could be other cultural and social groups that would be a natural link to a student Eco-Reps program,” he said.

Students’ interest has exceeded our expectations,” Goresko said. “I don’t think we ever originally thought that we would have a Greek and Hillel community.” He believes that the Eco-Reps program is responsible for the formation of other green groups on campus that have emerged over the past few years.

While Garofalo admitted it was difficult to assess the impact of increased environmental awareness, he also claimed he has seen a massive increase in students’ knowledge of the Climate Action Plan, Eco-Reps program and Penn’s wind purchases recently.

“I didn’t know [the Eco-Rep program] existed until this year,” said College junior Sofia Liou. “I think they’re doing a good job, but I didn’t know that Penn was so green focused.”

Nevertheless, members are proud of the work they have accomplished for the environment. “People aren’t faced with the option of not being more environmentally friendly,” Lieberman added.

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