Philadelphia University
Contact Information
Education and Research:
Philadelphia University has become a national leader in sustainability education. It currently offers two innovative degree programs that focus specifically on sustainability: a Master’s degree in Sustainable Design and a Bachelor’s of Science in Environmental Sustainability. In addition, the University offers an undergraduate degree in Environmental and Conservation Biology, programs in Architecture and Landscape Architecture that are rooted firmly in sustainability practices, and a Construction Management program which trains students in LEED standards. Sustainability education can be found across the University’s curriculum, from the “green office building” project that Interior Design students complete in their junior year, to the annual team presentation competition in the School of Business that focuses on managing sustainability in a global business environment.
Co-curricular initiatives also play a key role in expanding sustainability education across the campus. The summer reading selection for this year’s First Year Experience is William McDonough and Michael Braungart’s book, Cradle to Cradle, which will be the topic for summer book discussions as well as for first year writing seminars and history classes. Philadelphia University design students received the top prize in the Cotton Inc. competition entitled “Recycling Cotton: Past Becomes Future.” The 2009 Design X Fashion Show on campus was organized around the theme, “Wear Your Waste,” which featured designs using recycled and repurposed materials, such as garbage bags, shower curtains, insulation and other items. A team of PhilaU architecture students won the CertainTeed International Energy Efficiency Competition, a nation-wide contest to develop an energy-efficient headquarters for the insulation and building supplies company. Teams from Philadelphia University also swept the top three prizes at the 2009 Delaware Valley Green Build Council student design competition.
Thanks to their active research in environmental topics, Philadelphia University faculty and students are contributing to the advancement of sustainability knowledge. Professor Anne Bower, the director of the Environmental and Conservation Biology program, is leading her undergraduate students in a multiyear grant project using radiotelemetry to track threatened red-bellied turtles to determine their habitat needs and home range. The results of this research will be used by the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission to develop a state-wide recovery plan for the species. A recent study conducted by business professor Cathy Rusinko indicated that the use of sustainability practices by manufacturing companies can provide competitive advantages, including reduced costs and the recruiting of new customers. Professor Rusinko has also been invited to co-edit a special issue of the Journal of Management Education devoted to “Greening and Sustainability Across the Management Curriculum.” Textile engineering professor Brian George is working with a national manufacturer to produce automobile components made from natural and recycled materials, including a sound-deadening padding to be used in new cars for the 2010 model year. He is also working on projects aimed at turning waste products like poultry feathers and crop harvest debris into textiles and materials that can be used for erosion control.
Campus Operations:
In the fall of 2007, Philadelphia University formed a campus-wide Sustainability Committee, staffed by faculty, administrators, staff, and students, which has developed a number of initiatives to advance the sustainability of campus operations. Raising the effectiveness of the campus recycling program was one of the first challenges that the Sustainability Committee tackled, and thanks to their work, recycling has increased by more than 350% since 2004. The Committee also helped organize the 2008 Eco-Challenge, a competition between students living in the University townhouses. Environmental science students served as technical advisors and referees for the competition, which led the townhouse residents to reduce their water consumption by 76% and their electricity use by 66%. The University has also implemented a light-bulb exchange program in the residence halls, which allows students to trade incandescent bulbs for compact fluorescents. The University’s housekeeping contractor uses all “green” cleaning products and has rescheduled evening cleanings to minimize the use of electrical lighting.
With the construction of the new Kanbar Campus Center, the University implemented the Dell Stormwater Management Project, a multiphase system of check dams, step pools, and wetlands for treating rain water to protect the Wissahickon Creek watershed as part of the Philadelphia Water Department’s master plan to restore the Schuylkill River watershed. This system infiltrates water on site, removes pollutants, prevents downstream flooding, and provide wildlife habitat on campus.
The University is a participant in PhillyCarShare, a popular nonprofit initiative to reduce car ownership—the University is currently sponsoring two vehicles on campus, for the use of the university population as well as the residents of the surrounding East Falls neighborhood. The Sustainability Committee also helped organize the Bike Share program, a free bike-rental initiative for students, faculty and staff.
Dining Services is playing an important role in the University’s sustainability initiatives. The Ravenhill Dining Hall has been completely trayless for the past year, with significant savings in water use and water heating costs. Dining Services is a partner of Seafood Watch, and buys at least 20% of its food through the Farm Source program, which supports local farmers and growers cooperatives. Used oil from the fryers in the dining halls is recycled off campus, and Dining Services donates leftover food several times a week to Philabundance, the city’s largest food bank and hunger-relief organization.
The University recently announced plans to fully renovate an existing building on campus into a 12,000 square-foot Center for Sustainability, Energy Efficiency, and Design (SEED). This project will result in a LEED Platinum certified, multidisciplinary center that will serve the greater Philadelphia region with applied research, education and job training in sustainable design and construction, and in the development and installation of renewable energy systems.
Administration and Finance:
Philadelphia University is proud of its efforts to spread sustainability education beyond the campus to the larger community. One of its leading efforts in this direction is a weekly radio show, “Ecoman and the Skeptic,” which provides sustainability programming nationwide on the Green Talk Network. This show is hosted by architecture professor Rob Fleming and engineering professor Chris Pastore, the directors of Philadelphia University’s Engineering and Design Institute, which focuses on research for sustainable design and building. In November 2008, the University also hosted the Philadelphia public with a panel discussion entitled, “Inside Philadelphia’s Greenest Companies: Sustainability Strategies and ‘Green Collar’ Careers,” which brought together regional experts to discuss the growth of sustainability practices and job opportunities in the greater Philadelphia area.
Several years ago, the Philadelphia city government contacted the Engineering and Design Institute for assistance when it realized that its efforts to tear down decaying row houses were leaving adjacent buildings exposed to the elements. The Institute directors responded to this challenge by developing an external insulation material called Exolation, which combines layers of high-density foam, fabric, and a latex stucco finish in 2 x 4 foot panels that can be easily glued to external building walls to reduce heating and cooling costs. This product also serves the city with an additional aesthetic element: the panels can be pre-decorated with mural designs before they are attached to the row house walls. The product has now been patented, with manufacturers interested in selling Exolation to other Northeastern cities with a legacy of row houses. An interdisciplinary team of Philadelphia University faculty members has also developed a breathable environmental fabric system for interior walls to help combat sick building syndrome by capturing and killing airborne biological contaminants. This antimicrobial fabric was a collaboration between professors in the biology, textile engineering, and architecture programs, and it has reduced mold and bacteria counts in 5 test locations.
The University has been active in sponsoring student activism and community outreach on sustainability issues. The administration has actively supported the Student Organization for Sustainable Action (SOSA), which traveled to the AASHE 2008 conference to report on its initiatives and organizational growth. In the fall of 2008, the University celebrated the inauguration of President Stephen Spinelli with a university-wide Day of Service which mobilized over 1,000 faculty, staff and students to serve on a variety of projects, including tree plantings and clean-up operations in the neighborhoods surrounding the University. This Day of Service has now been established as an annual tradition, and starting in the fall, it will be supplemented with a new credit-bearing course focusing on civic engagement. SERVE-101 is a “civic education” experience that is being offered as an alternative to the University’s physical education requirement; the one-credit course uses academic readings and reflection assignments to guide students through their own service learning project in the Philadelphia community.
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