Launched in 2020 by then-President Amy Gutmann and then-Provost Wendell Pritchett, the Environmental Innovations Initiative is dedicated to leveraging Penn’s considerable academic strengths to meaningfully impact the critical environmental challenges of our time. The inaugural faculty co-leads were Joseph S. Francisco, who served through June 2023, and Kathleen D. Morrison, current faculty lead.
MISSION
EII’s mission is to serve as a convener and catalyst for scholarship and education that addresses environmental and climate challenges.
VISION
EII aspires to cultivate a community of knowledge and action in environmental stewardship by bringing together scholars, practitioners, students, and partners to create a world where everyone can thrive.
OUR WORK
EII puts these guiding principles into action by:
- Strengthening collaboration within the Penn community and with external partners to advance interdisciplinary scholarship and solutions to climate change and other environmental challenges.
- Developing formal and informal educational offerings that inspire and instruct tomorrow’s leaders.
- Raising the visibility of Penn’s contributions to the study of climate and the environment through robust programming and communications, helping engage students, faculty, staff, alumni, and partners.
A Year in Review
The EII 2023-24 Annual Report shares updated Academic Climate Commitments from all of Penn's 12 Schools, outcomes from the PPA Renewable Energy Research Program, results from the 2024 university-wide survey on climate change, and a growing set of research communities. Prepared as an appendix to the full report, the Penn Academic Climate Commitment Benchmarks shares recent progress made by each of Penn's schools.
Partnerships
EII collaborates with numerous people and organizations both inside and outside of Penn to accomplish our goals and support others in reaching theirs.
Recent News
