Local Outreach Projects

Locally, PennEWB works with area high schools and other Penn student organizations to complete educational and outreach initiatives designed to promote sustainability.

Curriculum Committee:

Recently, we've partnered with Saul Agricultural High School to teach a series on sustainable development and related appropriate technologies. Some of the curriculum topics include biogas, biodiesel, geothermal energy harvestation, future car power technologies, and climate change. For further information about the curriculum committee, contact Arthur Xu.

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Implementation Committee:

Our partnership with Saul extends beyond the classroom. We've implemented an afterschool program to provide a hands-on approach to learning about "greener" technologies.

Biogas Digester
Our first project with the high school kids was designing and constructing a biogas digester to generate methane. The methane is burned in a furnace to provide heat to the school's green house during the winter months, allowing them to grow crops that would otherwise be susceptible to frost. We completed our first digester in early October and we plan to expand to the system by connecting several more digesters in parallel.

Biodiesel Processor
Our latest project is the design and construction a small 5 gallon batch processor that makes biodiesel from waste vegetable oil (WVO). We've established a partnership with a local Thai restaurant to utilize their WVO for the project. Eventually, the biodiesel will be used to power the fleet of farm vehicles present at Saul High School. For more information on the implementation committee, contact Jay Parekh.

Campus Workshops:

Our newest initiative is closer to campus. We are developing a series of weekend workshops to engage Penn students in the newest sustainable technology. At our first session, we created several small batches of biodiesel from virgin vegetable oil. Future projects include creating combustible biomass briquettes and designing more cost-efficient wind turbines for single-home electricity generation. To get involved with these projects, contact Jay Parekh.