University approves 10 Green Fund projects

Last week, Penn approved the funding of 10 Green Fund projects, including the creation of an urban garden on the University’s campus.

The Green Fund gives one-time grants up to $50,000 to fund environmental proposals to increase the University’s sustainability. The project will also support Penn’s Climate Action Plan launched earlier this fall, which focuses on reducing the carbon footprint of the campus.

The Penn Green Fund awarded a $20,000 grant to design a garden on Penn’s campus. The project was proposed by College senior Sandra Zhao and aided by Engineering sophomore Samantha Beattie.

“I started doing some research and discovered that Philly is actually at the forefront of the community garden ‘movement’ in the country, and I thought that it would be cool to find a way to get students involved,” Zhao wrote in an e-mail. “We want the garden to be a hub for community engagement, academics, and advocacy.”

Zhao added that she hopes the garden will serve as a reminder of “the excitement of nature” and that it will encourage discussion on sustainability-related topics.

Facilities and Real Estate Services, the Department of Urban Studies, the Department of Environmental Studies and the Undergraduate Assembly Housing, Sustainability and Facilities Committee will aid Zhao and Beattie on finalizing and implementing the project.

“There has been a long-standing interest from a number of students in urban agriculture and gardening,” said Dan Garofalo, the University’s environmental sustainability coordinator. “This project is also consistent with our desire to remove hard surfaces on campus and replace it with permeable landscape.”

The Netter Center for Community Partnership’s Urban Nutrition Initiative will also focus on organizing students and hiring workers to maintain the garden. In addition, the Environmental Studies Department has also been interested in creating a “Food and Society” minor that will make use of the garden, according to an e-mail from Chair of the Undergraduate Assembly Alec Webley.

“Penn is the only school in the Ivy League that still does not have a fully-operating campus or community garden,” College senior Sonja Tonnesen, who works at the Urban Nutrition Initiative, said.

Several locations for the urban garden are being considered, including the parking lot behind the Civic House, Zhao said.

“We think this garden is a great way to have our campus engage with the local community,” Facilities and Real Estate Services Vice President Anne Papageorge said. “This garden will provide not only environmental returns but can also be used for educational purposes.”

Additionally, the Green Fund awarded other projects such as a Mayer Hall composting project, a window restoration project at the Sigma Chi Fraternity and a dormitory energy competition.

The Fund will accept applications for projects again in the spring.

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