Green Fund Awards

Spring 2012 – “Electric Vehicle”, Facilities, Planning and Operations

A Green Fund Grant was received to purchase an electric Columbia ParCar Mega Van, SAS’s first electric vehicle. The Mega Van replaced a 1991 maintenance-intensive and highly polluting petro-fueled Daihatsu, and is currently being used by SAS computing to facilitate the pickup and delivery of computing equipment.

The Mega Van is a zero-emissions vehicle, whose use has by definition reduced the tailpipe and downstream carbon emissions compared to its predecessor. The now-retired Daihatsu required an average of 2.17 service visits per year over the last 6 years, with 2011 alone requiring 3 service visits. Since its employment, Mega Van has required zero service visits and harbors no indication of needing service.

Read our Electric Vehicle Final Green Fund Grant Report to learn more.

Spring 2010 – “Laboratory Glass and Metal Recycling”, Department of Chemistry 

One 20-yard recycling compactor and one 6-yard trash compactor was installed in the Department of Chemistry loading dock in order to implement a department-wide lab glass and lab metal recycling program. The addition of this compactor will also increase the Department’s capacity to recycle paper, cardboard and commingled materials while reducing the number of pick-ups from 10-12 to 2-3 per week, helping to reduce fuel emissions.

Project Leader: Matthew Lane, Executive Director, Department of Chemistry

Sponsor: Department of Chemistry

 

Penn’s Green Fund welcomes ideas from students, faculty, and staff about ways to improve the University’s environmental performance and reduce campus emissions. Proposed projects must support goals and objectives outlined in Penn’s Climate Action Plan, a long-range strategy, launched in 2009 and updated in 2014, to reduce the University’s carbon footprint and enhance its overall sustainability.

Want to apply to a Green Fund Grant of your own? Applications are accepted on a rolling basis. Read through the program FAQ and visit Penn Sustainability’s Green Fund Page for more information on how to apply.