UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The pathway to a greener future means more than just switching to renewable energy and electric vehicles. It also means rethinking the way we design and construct buildings. Esther Obonyo, associate professor of engineering design and architectural engineering at Penn State, will discuss ways to reduce the carbon footprint of the built environment at 4 p.m. Monday, March 1. The talk, which is free and open to the public, will be broadcast via Zoom.
Obonyo is director of the Global Building Network, an initiative of Penn State and the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe to promote an international framework that makes the built environment more sustainable, efficient and healthier for people. Prior to joining Penn State, she was at the University of Florida. She has worked as a construction engineer, project manager and innovations analyst for engineering and construction companies in Kenya, the United Kingdom and the United States. She earned her doctorate in engineering from Loughborough University, U.K.
Obonyo’s talk is part of the spring 2021 EarthTalks series, “Energy and climate policy: How to avoid a global hothouse.” The series focuses on policies and technology that could help slow down global warming and addresses topics such as carbon taxes, renewable energy subsidies and the feasibility of carbon sequestration. For more information about the spring 2021 series, visit the EarthTalks website.