Dean Thomas Robertson drives sustainability at Wharton:
"Wharton is committed to reducing our environmental footprint and continues to advance our sustainability efforts through operational improvements and the commitment and innovation of the Wharton community."

  • Energy Conservation

    JMHH Commissioning Efforts Launched

    Jon M. Huntsman Hall launched a commissioning effort for all HVAC systems in 2011 that has already resulted in energy savings. As of Spring 2012, we have completed the investigative phase and are about 2/3 of the way done with Phase 2 repairs and modifications.

  • Waste & Recycling

    2011 Waste Audit - Recycling Doubles!

    After implementing paper towel recycling and significant behavior change initiatives among faculty, staff and students at Huntsman Hall, our 2011 waste audit revealed that our recycling rate has doubled from 15% in 2010 to 30% in 2011.

  • Projects Under Review

    Deskside Recycling

    In November 2010, we launched a deskside recycling pilot in partnership with Wharton Computing on the 2nd floor of Vance Hall. We removed deskside trash cans and replaced them with deskside paper recycling bins and upgraded the central recycling/trash stations in each cluster. Results from February 2011 showed a 204% increase in recycling on that floor. Thank you to our amazing housekeeping team for fantastic tracking and implementation!

  • Green Cleaning

    Joe's Café Earns LEED Gold

    Wharton has earned Penn's first certification under LEED for Commerical Interiors at the new Steinberg Hall-Dietrich Hall café, Joe's Café (named for our founder, Joseph Wharton). We earned Gold-level certification as well as two innovation credits rooted in Operations and Maintenance: one for green cleaning and one for sustainable cafe operations focused on waste diversion and composting and local/organic/healthy food options. Congratulations to the project team!