Penn State's Earth and Environmental Systems Institute will host another in its series of EarthTalks January 22 on Building SURE (Sustainable And Resilient) Communities starting at 4:00 p.m.

Esther Obonyo, associate professor of engineering design and architectural engineering, and director of the Global Building Network, will give the talk.

According to Obonyo, buildings play a crucial role in the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). They significantly impact resource consumption, environmental sustainability and the well-being of individuals and communities.

However, despite their importance, progress toward achieving an SDG-aligned building sector is "off track."

This is in part because these goals are being pursued in isolated, idealized, disciplinary silos which run the risk of partial, one-off solutions.

Obonyo’s talk will highlight how collaborative interdisciplinary research seeks to address this challenge through--

-- Exploring issues that are most often classified under the social sphere of sustainability such as health and safety, social justice and culture;

-- Advancing progress against environmental outcomes, particularly resource usage (materials) and emissions reductions (energy), and;

-- Generating evidence that can be used to promote the synergies with the health and spatial planning sector that can either increase or decrease the risks that buildings occupants experience in a changing climate.

Click Here to register.

The talk is part of the EarthTalks spring 2024 series, “Urban Systems Science,” which is exploring complex urban systems including interactions between tightly connected human and natural systems both within city boundaries and between cities and the surrounding rural environment.

For more information about the spring 2024 series, visit the EarthTalks website.

Related Articles This Week - Climate/Clean Energy:

-- AES Corporation Announces Completion Of 220 MW Solar Energy Facilities In Franklin, Fulton Counties To Power University Of Pennsylvania  [PaEN]

-- PA Solar Center Jan. 26 Webinar On Federal And State Financial Resources For Going Solar  [PaEN]

-- Penn State Extension Energy Essentials: Feb. 15 Webinar Update On Large-Scale Solar; What Is Agrivoltaics? Latest On Anaerobic Digesters  [PaEN]

-- PUC Hosts Feb. 1 Virtual Stakeholders Meeting On Distributed Energy Resources Participation In Wholesale Electricity Markets  [PaEN]

-- PUC Stakeholders Feb. 7-8 Meetings On Act 129 Statewide Energy Efficiency Baseline Studies, 2026 Technical Reference Manual Update

-- Penn State EarthTalk: Jan. 22 Building SURE (Sustainable And Resilient) Communities Webinar  [PaEN]

-- Juniata County Dairy Farm Turns 1,000 Pound PA Farm Show Butter Sculpture Into Renewable Energy  [PaEN]

-- DEP Extends Deadline For Comments On Proposed Grant Program To Reduce Industrial Sector Greenhouse Gas Emissions To Jan. 29  [PaEN]

-- DEP Awards $1.28 Million In Grants For Alternative Fuels Charging Stations, Clean Fuel Vehicles  [PaEN]

-- PennDOT Awarded $5 Million In Federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Funding To Repair Or Replace Existing Electric Vehicle Charging Sites

-- Biden Administration Takes Steps To Cut Electric Vehicle Costs And Continues Build Out Of Made-In-America Electric Vehicle Charging Network

-- PA Cong. Thompson, Deluzio Introduce Bipartisan Bill To Provide Flexibility To States Implementing The Federal Conventional Orphan Oil & Gas Well Plugging Program  [PaEN]

NewsClips This Week:

-- Capital & Main - Audrey Carleton: Gov. Shapiro Promised 30% Renewable Electricity By 2030, Will That Happen?

-- Republican Herald: Solar Energy Facility Proposed In Butler Twp., Schuylkill County

-- Pittsburgh Business Times: US Steel To Test Carbon Capture At Edgar Thomson Steel Plant

-- WHYY: PowerCorpsPHL Offers Solar Industry Training Program Focused On Justice-Involved Philadelphians

-- The Allegheny Front: Study Finds Fossil Fuel Workers Have Skills For Clean Energy Jobs But Might Have To Move

-- Kleinman Center For Energy Policy: 2024 Starts With A Grim Climate Milestone, But Hydrogen Policy Hope - By John Quigley, Former DEP/DCNR Secretary

-- PennLive Letter: Climate Change Is Costing Pennsylvanians Plenty, And Someone Has To Pay For It - By Sen. Amanda Cappelletti (D)

-- Pittsburgh City Paper: Pittsburgh’s Underground Streams Pose Challenges And Opportunities To Fight Climate Change

-- The Guardian: Lawsuit By University of Pennsylvania Climate Scientist Michael Mann Over Online Attacks Finally Comes To Trial

[Posted: January 18, 2024]

1/22/2024